No one bathes in the pool,
The deep pool by the mill . . .

There's never a flash of a limb,
Nor a boy's form, straight and slim,
Taking off for a dive,
Making the stillness alive
Of the deep pool by the mill.

It's the best place for a swim
Up the river or down;
For it's always clear and still,
Deep and tempting and cool,
In the shadows green and brown
Of the deep pool by the mill.

When the boys come from the school
They run with laughter and cries,
Strip, and splash in the shallows
Where the minnows glance, and the swallows
Dart for the dancing flies,
But no one bathes in the pool -
The deep pool by the mill -
Because of the thing in the pool
That drags them down.