�Which way shall I take?� shouts a voice in the night,
�I�m a pilgrim awearied, and spent is my light;
And I seek for a palace, that rests on the hill,
But between us, a stream lieth sullen and chill.�

Refrain

Near, near thee, my son, is the old wayside cross,
Like a gray friar cowled, in lichens and moss;
And its crossbeam will point to the bright golden span,
That bridges the waters so safely for man;
That bridges the waters so safely for man.

�Which way shall I take for the bright golden span
That bridges the waters so safely for man?
To the right? To the left? ah, me! if I knew�
The night is so dark, and the passers so few.�

Refrain

�See the lights from the palace in silvery lines,
How they pencil the hedges and fruit laden vines�
My fortune! my all! for one tangled gleam
That sifts thro� the lilies, and wastes on the stream.�

Refrain