| A BOAT, beneath a sunny sky, | |
| Lingering onward dreamily | |
| In an evening of July; | |
| Children three that nestle near, | |
| Eager eye and willing ear, | 5 |
| Pleased a simple tale to hear;— | |
| Long has paled that sunny sky: | |
| Echoes fade and memories die, | |
| Autumn frosts have slain July. | |
| Still she haunts me, phantom-wise, | 10 |
| Alice moving under skies | |
| Never seen by waking eyes. | |
| Children yet, the tale to hear, | |
| Eager eye and willing ear, | |
| Lovingly shall nestle near. | 15 |
| In a Wonderland they lie, | |
| Dreaming as the days go by, | |
| Dreaming as the summers die: | |
| Ever drifting down the stream, | |
| Lingering in the golden gleam,— | 20 |
| Life, what is it but a dream? |
Lewis Carroll
