My Lady's Bower

Thro' the moated grange at twilight,

My love and I we went,

By empty rooms and lonely stairs,

In lover's sweet content,

And round the old and broken casement,

We watched the roses flow'r,

But the place we lov'd the best of all,

Was call'd "My Lady's Bow'r."

And with beating hearts we enter'd

And stood and whisper'd low,

Of the sweet and lovely lady

Who liv'd there years ago!

And the moon shone in upon us

Across the dusty floor,

Where her little feet had wandered

In the courtly days of yore;

And it touch'd the faded arras

And a gain we seem'd to see

The lovely lady sitting there,

Her lover at her knee,

And we saw him kiss her fair white hand

And Oh! we heard him say:

"I shall love thee love for ever,

Tho' the years may pass away!"

But then they vanish'd in a moment,

And we knew 'twas but a dream!

It was not they who sat there

In the sliver moonlight gleam!

Ah! no, 'twas we, we two together

Who had found our golden hour,

And told the old, old story

Within "My Lady's Bow'r."