Page:The Poetical Works of William Motherwell, 1849.djvu/421



, dar'st thou seek the shore Which ne'er woman's footstep bore;— Where beneath yon rugged steep, Restless rolls the darksome deep?

Dar'st thou, though thy blood run chill, Thither speed at midnight still— And when Horror rules the sky, Raise for lover lost thy cry?

Dar'st thou at that ghastiest hour Breathe the word of magic power— Word that breaks the mermaid's spell, Which false lover knows too well?

When affrighted spectres rise 'Twixt pale floods and ebon skies, Dar'st thou, reft of maiden fear, Bid the Water-Witch appear?