Suppose

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  Suppose ... and suppose that a wild little Horse of Magic
  Came cantering out of the sky,
  With bridle of silver, and into the saddle I mounted,
  To fly — and to fly;

  And we stretched up into the air, fleeting on in the sunshine,
  A speck in the gleam,
  On galloping hoofs, his mane in the wind out-flowing,
  In a shadowy stream;

  And oh, when, all lone, the gentle star of evening
  Came crinkling into the blue,
  A magical castle we saw in the air, like a cloud of moonlight,
  As onward we flew;

  And across the green moat on the drawbridge we foamed and we snorted,
  And there was a beautiful Queen
  Who smiled at me strangely; and spoke to my wild little Horse, too —
  A lovely and beautiful Queen;

  And she cried with delight — and delight — to her delicate maidens,
  'Behold my daughter — my dear!'
  And they crowned me with flowers, and then to their harps sate playing,
  Solemn and clear;

  And magical cakes and goblets were spread on the table;
  And at window the birds came in;
  Hopping along with bright eyes, pecking crumbs from the platters,
  And sipped of the wine;

  And splashing up — up to the roof tossed fountains of crystal;
  And Princes in scarlet and green
  Shot with their bows and arrows, and kneeled with their dishes
  Of fruits for the Queen;

  And we walked in a magical garden with rivers and bowers,
  And my bed was of ivory and gold;
  And the Queen breathed soft in my ear a song of enchantment —
  And I never grew old....

  And I never, never came back to the earth, oh, never and never;
  How mother would cry and cry!
  There'd be snow on the fields then, and all these sweet flowers in the winter
  Would wither, and die....

  Suppose ... and suppose .

© Walter de la Mare