WITH Of things that in the great world be, Thou unassuming commonplace Oft on the dappled turf at ease And many a fond and idle name A nun demure, of lowly port; Or sprightly maiden, of Love's court, In thy simplicity the sport Of all temptations; A queen in crown of rubies drest; A starveling in a scanty vest; Are all, as seems to suit thee best, Thy appellations. A little Cyclops, with one eye That thought comes next—and instantly The freak is over, The shape will vanish, and behold! I see thee glittering from afar-- In heaven above thee! Yet like a star, with glittering crest, Self-poised in air thou seem'st to rest;— Sweet Flower! for by that name at last I call thee, and to that cleave fast, That breath'st with me in sun and air, E TO THE SKYLARK 'THEREAL minstrel! pilgrim of the sky! Dost thou despise the earth where cares abound? Or while the wings aspire, are heart and eye Those quivering wings composed, that music still! To the last point of vision, and beyond, Mount, daring warbler!-that love-prompted strain -"Twixt thee and thine a never-failing bond Thrills not the less the bosom of the plain. : Yet mightst thou seem, proud privilege! to sing Leave to the nightingale her shady wood; I THE DAFFODILS. WANDERED lonely as a cloud That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd, A host of golden daffodils, Continuous as the stars that shine And twinkle on the milky way, Tossing their heads in sprightly dance. The waves beside them danced, but they In such a jocund company! I gazed—and gazed—but little thought For oft, when on my couch I lie THE EDUCATION OF NATURE. HREE years she in sun and shower; THR grew Then Nature said, "A lovelier flower On earth was never sown: This child I to myself will take; She shall be mine, and I will make 66 A lady of my own. Myself will to my darling be Both law and impulse: and with me The girl, in rock and plain, In earth and heaven, in glade and bower, To kindle or restrain. "She shall be sportive as the fawn And hers shall be the breathing balm, "The floating clouds their state shall lend To her; for her the willow bend; Nor shall she fail to see E'en in the motions of the storm Grace that shall mould the maiden's form By silent sympathy. "The stars of midnight shall be dear To her; and she shall lean her ear In many a secret place Where rivulets dance their wayward round, And beauty born of murmuring sound Shall pass into her face. "And vital feelings of delight Shall rear her form to stately height, Her virgin bosom swell; Such thoughts to Lucy I will give While she and I together live Here in this happy dell." Thus Nature spake-The work was done- How soon my Lucy's race was run! She died, and left to me This heath, this calm and quiet scene; The memory of what has been, And never more will be. |