I think one word should be different in the last line of the first stanza...

"I first set eyes on a girl and at once I did know"

That's what I hear him singing on the record, and it makes sense. At that moment he knew there would be a romantic connection between them.

It's a sweet and rather lovely song. I've heard it on the album, and once on a live radio broadcast of an Al Stewart show somewhere back in the early 70's.

There was always a really delicate, ornate touch to the way Al Steward handled lyrics and the way he sang them, and some people have made fun of him for it, calling it a "twee" style. I can't agree with them, I think it's great. It demonstrates intelligence and awareness of subtlety on his part, and subtlety is a much underrated quality in contemporary culture.