Matthew Arnold (1822–88). The Poems of Matthew Arnold, 1840–1867. 1909.
Poems; A New Edition. 1853The Neckan
I
The Baltic Sea along,
Sits Neckan with his harp of gold,
And sings his plaintive song.
Green rolls the Baltic Sea.
And there, below the Neckan’s feet,
His wife and children be.
Its shells and roses pale.
Of earth, of earth the Neckan sings;
He hath no other tale.
And sings a mournful stave
Of all he saw and felt on earth,
Far from the green sea wave.
By castle, field, and town.—
But earthly knights have harder hearts
Than the Sea Children own.
Priest, knights, and ladies gay.
‘And who art thou,’ the priest began,
‘Sir Knight, who wedd’st to-day?’—
‘From the sea waves I come.’—
The knights drew sword, the ladies scream’d,
The surplic’d priest stood dumb.
He vanish’d with his bride,
And bore her down to the sea halls,
Beneath the cold sea tide.
’Mid shells that round her lie.
‘False Neckan shares my bed,’ she weeps;
‘No Christian mate have I.’—
He rose to earth again,
And sought a priest to sign the cross,
That Neckan Heaven might gain.
Beneath the birch trees cool,
He sate and play d his harp of gold,
Beside the river pool.
Tears fill’d his cold blue eye.
On his white mule, across the bridge,
A cassock’d priest rode by.
And play’st thy harp of gold?
Sooner shall this my staff bear leaves,
Than thou shalt Heaven behold.’—
And vanish’d with his mule.
And Neckan in the twilight grey
Wept by the river pool.
The Baltic Sea along,
Sits Neckan with his harp of gold,
And sings this plaintive song.