I remember reading this in school and falling in love with the romance and drama of the poem, and the cadence and rhythm of it, so wonderful for reciting. Then when I heard Loreena Mc Kennitt's song I thought it was perfect. This is just the first verse, it is a long poem. If you want to read the whole thing, you can find it here.
The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees, The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas, The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor, And the highwayman came riding, Riding, riding, The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.
'The road was a ribbon of moonlight | over the purple moor.' A line to die for, gorgeous imagery in this poem. I do love it too, not read it for years, it takes on new layers of meaning through new eyes.