Sir William Watson

The Ballad of Semmerwater

Deep asleep, deep asleep,
Deep asleep it lies,
The still lake of Semmerwater
Under the still skies.

And many a fathom, many a fathom,
Many a fathom below,
In a king’s tower and a queen’s bower
The fishes come and go.

Once there stood by Semmerwater
A mickle town and tall;
King’s tower and queen’s bower,
And the wakeman on the wall.

Came a beggar halt and sore:
“I faint for lack of bread.”
King’s tower and queen’s bower
Cast him forth unfed.

He knocked at the door of the herdman’s cot,
The herdman’s cot in the dale.
They gave him of their oatcake,
They gave him of their ale.

He has cursed aloud that city proud,
He has cursed it in its pride;
He has cursed it into Semmerwater
Down the brant hillside;
He has cursed it into Semmerwater,
There to bide.

King’s tower and queen’s bower,
And a mickle town and tall;
By glimmer of scale and gleam of fin,
Folk have seen them all.
King’s tower and queen’s bower,
And weed and reed in the gloom;
And a lost city in Semmerwater,
Deep asleep till Doom.