The Merman

Who would be

A merman bold,

Sitting alone,

Singing alone

Under the sea,

With a crown of gold,

On a throne?

I would be a merman bold;

I would sit and sing the whole of the day;

I would fill the sea-halls with a voice of power;

But at night I would roam abroad and play

With the mermaids in and out of the rocks,

Dressing their hair with the white sea-flower;

And then we would wander away, away

To the pale-green sea-groves straight and high,

Chasing each other merrily.

Who would be

A mermaid fair,

Singing alone,

Combing her hair

Under the sea,

In a golden curl,

With a comb of pearl,

On a throne?

I would be a mermaid fair,

I would sing to myself the whole of the day;

With a comb of pearl I would comb my hair.

I would comb my hair till my ringlets would fall

Low adown, low adown,

From under my starry sea-bud crown

And I should look like a fountain of gold

Springing alone,

With a shrill inner sound,

Over the throne.

—Alfred Tennyson.