The moan of Rose Dolores, she made her plaint
to me,
“My hair is lifted by the wind that sweeps in
from the sea;
I taste its salt upon my lips O jailer,
set me free!”
“Content thee, Rose Dolores; content thee, child
of care!
There’s satin shoon upon thy feet and emeralds
in thy hair,
And one there is who hungers for thy step upon the
stair.”
The moan of Rose Dolores, “O jailer, set me
free!
These satin shoon and green-lit gems are terrible
to me;
I hear a murmur on the wind, the murmur of the sea!”
“Bethink thee, Rose Dolores, bethink thee, ere
too late!
Thou wert a fisher’s child, alack, born to a
fisher’s fate;
Would’st lay thy beauty ’neath the yoke would’st
be a fisher’s mate?”
The moan of Rose Dolores “Kind jailer, let me
go!
There’s one who is a fisher ah! my
heart beats cold and slow
Lest he should doubt I love him I! who
love not heaven so!”
“Alas, sweet Rose Dolores, why beat against
the bars?
Thy fisher lover drifteth where the sea is full of
stars;
Why weep for one who weeps no more? since
grief thy beauty mars!”
The moan of Rose Dolores (she prayed me patiently)
“O jailer, now I know who called from out the
calling sea,
I know whose kiss was in the wind O jailer,
set me free!”