Thro’ the ghoul-guarded gateways of slumber Past the wan-moon’d abysses of night I have liv’d o’er my lives without number I have sounded all things with my sight; And I struggle and shriek ere the daybreak Being driven to madness with fright I have whirl’d with the earth at the dawning When the sky was a vaporous flame; I have seen the dark universe yawning Where the black planets roll without aim; Where they roll in their horror unheeded Without knowledge or lustre or name
I had drifted o’er seas without ending Under sinister grey-clouded skies That the many-fork’d lightning is rending That resound with hysterical cries; With the moans of invisible daemons That out of the green waters rise I have plung’d like a deer thro’ the arches Of the hoary primoridal grove Where the oaks feel the presence that marches And stalks on where no spirit dares rove; And I flee from a thing that surrounds me And leers thro’ dead branches above
I have stumbled by cave-ridden mountains That rise barren and bleak from the plain I have drunk of the fog-foetid fountains That ooze down to the marsh and the main; And in hot cursed tarns I have seen things I care not to gaze on again I have scann’d the vast ivy-clad palace I have trod its untenanted hall Where the moon writhing up from the valleys Shews the tapestried things on the wall; Strange figures discordantly woven Which I cannot endure to recall I have peer’d from the casement in wonder At the mouldering meadows around At the many-roof’d village laid under The curse of a grave-girdled ground; And from rows of white urn-carven marble I listen intently for sound
I have haunted the tombs of the ages I have flown on the pinions of fear Where the smoke-belching Erebus rages Where the jokulls loom snow-clad and drear: And in realms where the sun of the desert consumes What it never can cheer I was old when the Pharaohs first mounted The jewel-deck’d throne by the Nile; I was old in those epochs uncounted When I, and I only, was vile; And Man, yet untainted and happy Dwelt in bliss on the far Arctic isle
[00:01.89]Thro’ the ghoul-guarded gateways of slumber [00:04.73]Past the wan-moon’d abysses of night [00:09.43]I have liv’d o’er my lives without number [00:12.93]I have sounded all things with my sight; [00:18.06]And I struggle and shriek ere the daybreak [00:22.35]Being driven to madness with fright [00:26.79]I have whirl’d with the earth at the dawning [00:30.99]When the sky was a vaporous flame; [00:34.38]I have seen the dark universe yawning [00:38.13]Where the black planets roll without aim; [00:42.77]Where they roll in their horror unheeded [00:46.01]Without knowledge or lustre or name [00:49.75] [00:51.96]I had drifted o’er seas without ending [00:55.52]Under sinister grey-clouded skies [00:58.61]That the many-fork’d lightning is rending [01:02.71]That resound with hysterical cries; [01:05.52]With the moans of invisible daemons [01:08.88]That out of the green waters rise [01:11.93]I have plung’d like a deer thro’ the arches [01:16.33]Of the hoary primoridal grove [01:19.17]Where the oaks feel the presence that marches [01:22.29]And stalks on where no spirit dares rove; [01:26.62]And I flee from a thing that surrounds me [01:30.43]And leers thro’ dead branches above [01:32.63] [01:34.18]I have stumbled by cave-ridden mountains [01:37.45]That rise barren and bleak from the plain [01:41.45]I have drunk of the fog-foetid fountains [01:45.15]That ooze down to the marsh and the main; [01:49.10]And in hot cursed tarns I have seen things [01:52.97]I care not to gaze on again [01:57.32]I have scann’d the vast ivy-clad palace [02:01.71]I have trod its untenanted hall [02:05.27]Where the moon writhing up from the valleys [02:08.01]Shews the tapestried things on the wall; [02:11.55]Strange figures discordantly woven [02:14.39]Which I cannot endure to recall [02:18.23]I have peer’d from the casement in wonder [02:21.87]At the mouldering meadows around [02:24.67]At the many-roof’d village laid under [02:26.90]The curse of a grave-girdled ground; [02:29.84]And from rows of white urn-carven marble [02:34.77]I listen intently for sound [02:37.01] [02:38.86]I have haunted the tombs of the ages [02:43.74]I have flown on the pinions of fear [02:46.83]Where the smoke-belching Erebus rages [02:50.23]Where the jokulls loom snow-clad and drear: [02:54.91]And in realms where the sun of the desert consumes [03:00.49]What it never can cheer [03:03.55]I was old when the Pharaohs first mounted [03:08.74]The jewel-deck’d throne by the Nile; [03:11.92]I was old in those epochs uncounted [03:15.57]When I, and I only, was vile; [03:19.96]And Man, yet untainted and happy [03:24.34]Dwelt in bliss on the far Arctic isle
