The Clown

There was once a poor clown all dressed in white,

In a dungeon, chained to the bars;

And he danced all day, and he danced all night,

To the sound of the dancing stars.

"O clown, silly clown, O why do you dance?

You know you can never be free.

You are tied by the leg to the strings of chance,

But you dance like a captive flea."

"My chain is heavy, my dungeon is dark,

I know I can never be free.

In my heart, in my heart there's a dancing spark,

And the stars make music for me.

"Oh! muffle my cell and rivet my chains,

And fetter my feet and my hands,

My soul is a horse of foam without reins

That dances on deathless sands."