The Highwayman

¹The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees.

²The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas.

³The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

⁴And the highwayman came riding—

⁵Riding—riding—

⁶The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

⁷He'd a French cocked-hat on his forehead, a bunch of lace at his chin,

⁸A coat of the claret velvet, and breeches of brown doe-skin.

⁹They fitted with never a wrinkle: his boots were up to the thigh!

¹⁰And he rode with a jewelled twinkle,

¹¹His pistol butts a-twinkle,

¹²His rapier hilt a-twinkle, under the jewelled sky.

¹³Over the purple moor,

¹⁴Over the highway,

¹⁵And after the dark, in the dark inn-yard,

¹⁶He tapped with his whip on the shutters, but all was locked and barred;

¹⁷He whistled a tune to the window, and who should be waiting there

¹⁸But the landlord's black-eyed daughter,

¹⁹Bess, the landlord's daughter,

²⁰Plaiting a dark red love-knot into her long black hair.