THE HEADLESS HORSEMAN

On the black road through the wood

As I rode,

There the Headless Horseman stood;

By the wild pool in the wood,

As I rode.

From the shadow of an oak,

As I rode,

Demon steed and rider broke;

By the thunder-shattered oak,

As I rode.

On the waste road through the plain,

As I rode,

At my back he whirled like rain;

On the tempest-blackened plain,

As I rode.

Four fierce hoofs shod red with fire,

As I rode,

Woke the wild rocks, dark and dire;

Eyes and nostrils streamed with fire,

As I rode.

On the deep road through the rocks,

As I rode,

I could reach his horse's locks;

Through the echo-hurling rocks,

As I rode.

And again I looked behind,

As I rode,—

Dark as night and swift as wind,

Towering, he rode behind,

As I rode.

On the steep road down the dell,

As I rode,

In the night I heard a bell,

In the village in the dell,

As I rode.

And my soul called out in prayer,

As I rode,—

Lo! the demon went in air,

Leaving me alone in prayer,

As I rode.