w£>-X_A--jL„.iu_»A.«.Jl-..A^A«...A--Jl^ ' — - -• ^ >^ ■:::--..;' ■l.^;-t J? "ir~~'''V"'"'V""™^^"' ©1 i LIBRARY or CONGRESS, j 5 5 |UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.^ ^/^ ■If- J WOOD-SIDE AND SEA- SIDE inusirntcti Irn |]cit unir |lciuil /f/ NEW YORK : D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 90, 92 & 94 C]RAND STREET. 1869. Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year i86S, by D. APPLETON & CO., In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of New York. CONTENTS. SUBJECT. The Merry Summer Months, Summer Woods, The Lamb, .... Song : On May Morning, Song of the Brook, Under the Trees, . Invocation to Rain in Summer, Birds, Rain on the Roof, To Blossoms, .... The Water ! the Water ! . Break, break, break. The Rivulet, . River of Leaves, A Wish, . The Ivy Green, To-Night, AUTHOR. PAGE. Motherwell, • 9 Mary Howitt, 12 Blake, . . i6 Milton, • 17 Tennyson, . 18 Stoddard, 23 Bennett, 24 Howitt, 25 A non. , . 28 Herrick, 30 Motherwell, 31 Tennyson, 35 Bryant, Zl Street, 38 Rogers, 40 Dickens, 49 Shelley, 50 4 CONTENTS. SUBJECT. AUTHOR. PAGE. The Hunter's Song, . . Barry Cornwall, • 52 A Forest Hymn, . Bryant, • 54 Hymn to the Flowers, . . Smith, . 61 The Voice of Autumn, . Bryant, . 64 Winter Song, . . Holty, • 67 The Sea, .... . Barry Cornwall, 68 Hymn of Nature, . Peabody, 71 The Snow-Shower, . . Bryant, 74 A True Story of a Fawn, . Edith May, n The Brook-Side, . Milnes, 79 Hymn of the City, . . Bryant, 81 To A Skylark, . Wordsworth, 83 English Churches, . . Landon, 85 The Angler's Wish, . . Walton, . 87 The Arctic Lover, . . Bryant, 89 The Dog and the Water-Li l'* i, . Cow per. 91 The Gladness of Nature, . Bryant, 94 Folding the Flocks, . Beaumont &^ Fletcher, 95 ILLUSTRATIONS, SUBJECT. Summer Scene, .... The Bird, Summer Woods, . The Lamb, The Brook, .... " "By Philip's Farm," " " Under Moon and Stars, Under the Trees, Autumn Trees, . Birds, .... Rain on the Roof, . The Cascade, The Side of the Stream, The Sea-shore, . The Ship in Harbor, The Rivulet, River of Leaves, ■The Cottage, The Maiden Fisher, Evening, Sunset, " The Moon, . ARTIST. PAGE. Foster, 9 a 1 1 a 13 Dalzid, . 16 Foster, 18 a 19 a 21 a 22 a 23 Hows, 25 Foster, 28 Hows, 31 Foster, ^Z 11 35 Duncan, 36 Foster, ol Hows, 39 Foster, 41 Dalziel, 42 Foster, 44 li 45 ILL US TRA TIONS. SUBJECT. The Serenade, The Ivy, Night, . The Deer, . The Forest, The Pines, Calm Shades, Flowers, Flowers by the Brook, Autumn in the Woods, Winter Scene, Ship at Sea, Monument Mountain, Sunset, Snow-Shower, Doe and Fawn, In the Woods, The Crowded Street, Country Church, Churchyard, The Stream, The Bear . Dog and Water-Lily, Gladness of Nature, ARTIST. Dalziel, Hows, Foster, IVei'r, Foster, Hoivs, Foster, Hows, Foster, Dalziel, Foster, DtDicaii, Diirand, Foster, a Harvey, Dalziel, a Foster, Weir, Evans, Foster, 47 49 51 53 55 57 60 61 65 67 69 71 73 75 n 80 82 85 86 88 90 92 94 TO PAN. All ye woods, and trees, and bowers, All ye virtues and ye powers That inhabit in the lakes. In the pleasant springs or brakes, Move your feet To our sound, Whilst we greet All this ground, With his honor and his name That defends our flocks from blame. He is great, and he is just, He is ever good, and must Thus be honored. Daffodillies, Roses, pinks, and loved lilies, Let us fling. Whilst we sing. Ever holy. Ever holy. Ever honored, ever young ! Thus great Pan is ever sung. Beaumont and Fletchek. THE MERRY SUMMER MONTHS. THEY come ! the merry summer months of beauty, song, and flowers ; They come ! the gladsome months that bring thick leafi- „ ness to bowers. lO THE MERRY SUMMER MONTHS. Up, up, my heart ! and walk abroad ; fling cark and care aside ; Seek silent hills, or rest thyself where peaceful waters glide ; Or, underneath the shadow vast of patriarchal tree, Scan through its leaves the cloudless sky in rapt tran- quillity. The grass is soft, its velvet touch is grateful to the hand ; And, like the kiss of maiden love, the breeze is sweet and bland ; The daisy and the buttercup are nodding courteously ; It stirs their blood with kindest love, to bless and welcome thee : And mark how with thy own thin locks — they now are silvery gray — That blissful breeze is wantoning, and whispering, "Be gay!" There is no cloud that sails along the ocean of yon sky. But hath its own winged mariners to give it melody : Thou seest their glittering fans outspread, all gleaming like red gold ; And hark ! with shrill pipe musical, their merry course they hold. God bless them all, those little ones, who, far above this earth. Can make a scoff of its mean joys, and vent a nobler mirth. But soft ! mine ear upcaught a sound — from yonder wood it came ! The spirit of the dim green glade did breathe his own glad name ; THE MERRY SUMMER MONTHS. I I Yes, it is he ! the hermit-bird, that, apart from all his kind, Slow spells his beads monotonous to the soft western wind ; Cuckoo ! Cuckoo ! he sings again — his notes are void of art; But simplest strains do soonest sound the deep founts of the heart. Good Lord ! it is a gracious boon for thought-crazed wight like me, To smell again these summer flowers beneath this summer tree ! To suck once more in every breath their little souls away, And feed my fancy with fond dreams of youth's bright summer day, 12 SUMMER WOODS. When, rushing forth Hke untamed colt, the reckless, truant boy. Wandered through greenwoods all day long, a mighty heart of joy ! I'm sadder now — I have had cause; but oh ! I'm proud to think That each pure joy-fount, loved of yore, I yet delight to drink ; Leaf, blossom, blade, hill, valley, stream, the calm, un- clouded sky. Still mingle music with my dreams, as in the days gone by. When summer's loveliness and light fall round me dark and cold, I'll bear indeed life's heaviest curse, — a heart that hath waxed old ! William Motherwell SUMMER WOODS. COME ye into the summer woods ; There entereth no annoy ; All greenly wave the chestnut-leaves, And the earth is full of joy. I cannot tell you half the sights Of beauty you may see. The bursts of golden sunshine. And many a shady tree. SUMMER WOODS. There, lightly swung, in bowery glades. The honeysuckles twine ; There blooms the rose-red campion, And the dark-blue columbine. 13 There grows the four-leaved plant, " true love,' In some dusk woodland spot ; There grows the enchanter's night-shade, And the wood forget-me-not. H SUMMER WOODS. And many a merry bird is there, Unscared by lawless men ; The blue-winged jay, the woodpecker, And the golden-crested wren. Come down, and ye shall see them all, The timid and the bold ; F'or their sweet life of pleasantness. It is not to be told. And far within that summer wood, Among the leaves so green. There flows a little gurgling brook, The brightest e'er was seen. There come the little gentle birds. Without a fear of ill, Down to the murmuring water's edge. And freely drink their fill ! And dash about and splash about, The merry little things ; And look askance with bright black eyes. And flirt their dripping wings. I've seen the freakish squirrels drop Down from their leafy tree. The little squirrels with the old,-- Great joy it was to me ! And down unto the running brook, I've seen them nimbly go ; SUMMER WOODS. 15 And the bright water seemed to speak A welcome kind and low. The nodding plants they bov/ed their heads, As if in heartsome cheer : They spake unto these little things, " 'Tis merry living here ! " Oh, how my heart ran o'er with joy ! I saw that all was good, And how we might glean up delight All round us, if we would ! And many a wood-mouse dwelleth there, Beneath the old wood shade, And all day long has work to do. Nor is of aug-ht afraid. The green shoots grow above their heads. And roots so fresh and fine Beneath their feet ; nor is there strife 'Mong them for mine and thine. There is enough for every one, And they lovingly agree ; We might learn a lesson, all of us. Beneath the greenwood tree. M.ARY HOWITT. THE LAMB. L ITTLE Lamb, who made thee ? Dost thou know who made thee ? SONG : ON MA V MORNING. I 7 Gave thee life, and bad thee feed, By the stream and o'er the mead ; Gave thee clothing of delight. Softest clothing, woolly, bright ; Gave thee such a tender voice. Making all the vales rejoice ; Little lamb, who made thee ? Dost thou know who made thee ? Little lamb, I'll tell thee; Little lamb, Lll tell thee. He is called by thy name. For He calls Himself a Lamb. He is meek, and He is mild, He became a little child : I a child, and thou a lamb, We are called by His name. Little lamb, God bless thee ; Little lamb, God bless thee ! William Blake. SONG: ON MAY MORNING. NOW the bright morning-star, day's harbinger, Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her The flowery May, who from her green lap throws The yellow cowslip, and the pale primrose. Hail, bounteous May, that dost inspire Mirth, and youth, and warm desire ! Woods and groves are of thy dressing. Hill and dale doth boast thy blessing. Thus we salute thee with our early song, And welcome thee, and wish thee long. John Milton. SONG OF THE BROOK. I COME from haunts of coot and hern I make a sudden sally And sparkle out among the fern, To bicker down a valley. By thirty hills I hurry down, Or slip between the rid^^cs ; SONG OF THE BROOK. By twenty thorps, a little town, And half a hundred bridges. Till last by Philip's farm I flow To join the brimming river ; For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. 19 I chatter over stony ways, In little sharps and trebles I bubble into eddying bays, I babble on the pebbles. 20 SONG OF THE BROOK. With many a curve my banks I fret, By many a field and fallow, And many a fairy foreland set With willow-weed and mallow. I chatter, chatter, as I flow To join the brimming river; For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. I wind about, and in and out, With here a blossom sailing, And here and there a lusty trout. And here and there a grayling. And here and there a foamy flake Upon me, as I travel, With many a silvery waterbreak Above the golden gravel ; And draw them all along, and flow To join the brimming river; For men may come and men may go. But I go on for ever. I steal by lawns and grassy plots ; I slide by hazel covers ; I move the sweet forget-me-nots That grow for happy lovers. I slip, I slide, I gloom, I glance. Among my skimming swallows, I make the netted sunbeam dance Against my sandy shallows. I murmur under moon and stars In brambly wildernesses ; I linger by my shingly bars ; I loiter round my cresses ; And out again I curve and flow To join the brimming river ; For men may come and men may go, But I go on forever. Alfred Tennyson. UNDER THE TREES. WHEN the summer days are bright and long, And the Httle birds pipe a merry song, 'Tis sweet in the shady woods to lie, And gaze at the leaves, and the twinkling sky, Drinking the while the rare, cool breeze, Under the trees — under the trees ! UNDER THE TREES. 23 II. When winter comes, and the days are dim, And the wind is singing a mournful hymn, 'Tis sweet in the faded woods to stray, And tread the dead leaves into the clay, :!i.^>. Thinking of all life's mysteries, Under the trees — under the trees ! 24 INVOCATION TO RAIN IN SUMMER. III. Summer or winter, day or night, The woods are an ever-new dehght ; They give us peace, and they make us strong, Such wonderful balms to them belong ; So, living or dying, I'll take mine ease Under the trees — under the trees ! R. H. Stoddard. INVOCATION TO RAIN IN SUMMER. O GENTLE, gentle summer rain. Let not the silver lily pine. The drooping lily pine in vain To feel that dewy touch of thine — To drink thy freshness once again, O gentle, gentle summer rain ! In heat the landscape quivering lies ; The cattle pant beneath the tree ; Through parching air and purple skies The earth looks up, in vain, for thee ; For thee — for thee, it looks in vain, O gentle, gentle summer rain ! Come, thou, and brim the meadow streams. And soften all the hills with mist, O falling dew ! from burning dreams By thee shall herb and flower be kissed ; And earth shall bless thee yet again, O gentle, gentle summer rain ! W. C. Bennett. BIRDS. OH, the sunny summer time ! Oh, the leafy summer time ! Merry is the birds' Hfe, When the year is in its prime ! 26 BIRDS. Birds are by the waterfalls, Dashing in the rainbow spray ; Everywhere, everywhere. Light and lovely things are they ! Birds are in the forest old. Building in each hoary tree ; Birds are on the green hills. Birds are on the sea ! On the moor and in the fen, 'Mong the whortleberries green, In the yellow furze-bush There the joyous bird is seen ! In the heather on the hill. All among the mountain thyme ; By the little brooksides. Where the sparkling waters chime ; In the crag, and on the peak. Splintered, savage, wild, and bare, There the bird with wild wings Wheeleth throu":h the air. Wheeleth through the breezy air, Singing, screaming in his flight, Calling to his bird-mate, In troubleless delight ! In the green and leafy wood, Where the branching ferns upcurl Soon as is the dawning Wake the mavis and the merle ; Wakes the cuckoo on the bough. Wakes the jay with ruddy breast, BIRDS. Wakes the mother ring-dove, Brooding on her nest ! Oh, the sunny summer time ! Oh, the leafy summer time ! Merry is the bird's hfe, When the year is in its prime ! Some are strong, and some are weak, Some love day, and some love night. But whate'er a bird is, Whate'er loves — it has delight In the joyous song it sings. In the liquid air it cleaves, In the sunshine, in the shower. In the nest it weaves. Do we wake, or do we sleep, Go our fancies in a crowd. After many a dull care, Birds are singing loud ! Sing then, linnet, sing then, wren, Merle and mavis, sing your fill ; And thou, rapturous skylark. Sing and soar up from the hill ! Sing, O nightingale, and pour Out for us sweet fancies new ; Singing for us, birds, We will sing of you ! Mary Howitt. 27 RAIN ON THE ROOF. WHl^N the humid shiidows hover Over all the starry spheres, And the melancholy darkness Gently weeps in rainy tears, 'Tis a joy to press the pillow Of a cottage-chamber bed, And to listen to the patter Of the soft rain overhead. RAIN ON THE ROOF. 29 Every tinkle on the shingles Has an echo in the heart ; And a thousand dreamy fancies Into busy being start, And a thousand recollections Weave their bright rays into woof, As I listen to the patter Of the rain upon the roof Now in fancy comes my mother As she used to, years agone, To survey her darling dreamers. Ere she left them till the dawn. Oh ! I see her bending o'er me, As I list to this refrain Which is played upon the shingles By the patter of the rain. Then my little seraph sister, With her wings and waving hair, And her bright-eyed cherub brother — A serene angelic pair — Glide around my wakeful pillow With their praise or mild reproof, As I listen to the murmur Of the soft rain on the roof. And another comes to thrill me With her eyes, delicious blue, And forget I, gazing on her, That her heart was all untrue ! I remember but to love her With a rapture kin to pain, And my heart's quick pulses vibrate To the patter of the rain. TO BLOSSOMS. There is naught in Art's bravuras That can work with such a spell In the spirit's pure, deep fountains, Whence the holy passions well, As that melody of Nature, That subdued, subduing strain Which is played upon the shingles By the patter of the rain. Anonymous. TO BLOSSOMS. FAIR pledges of a fruitful tree, Why do ye fall so fast ? Your date is not so past But you may stay yet here awhile To blush and gently smile, And go at last. W^hat ! were ye born to be An hour or half's delight. And so to bid good-night ? 'Tis pity Nature brought ye forth Merely to show your worth. And lose you quite. But you are lovely leaves, where we May read how soon things have Their end, though ne'er so brave ; And, after they have shown their pride. Like you, awhile, they glide Into the grave. Robert Herrick. THE WATER! THE WATER! THE Walter ! the Water ! The joyous brook for me, That tuneth through the quiet night Its ever-hving glee. 32 THE WATER! THE WATER! The Water ! the Water ! That sleepless, merry heart Which gurgles so unstintedly, And loveth to impart, To all around it, some small measure Of its own most perfect pleasure. The Water ! the Water ! The gentle stream for me, That gushes from the old gray stone, Beside the alder-tree. The Water ! the Water ! That ever-bubbling spring I loved and looked on v/hile a child In deepest wondering, — And asked it whence it came and went, And when its treasures would be spent. The Water ! the Water ! The merry wanton brook, That bent itself to pleasure me, Like mine old shepherd crook. The Water ! the Water ! That sang so sweet at noon, And sweeter still all night to win Smiles from the pale, proud moon, And from the little fairy faces That gleam in heaven's remotest places. The Water ! the Water ! The dear and blessed thing. That all day fed the little flowers On its banks blossomino-. THE WATER! THE WATER! 33 The Water ! the Water ! That murmured in my ear Hymns of a saint-like purity, That angels well might hear, And whisper in the gates of heaven, How meek a pilgrim had been shriven. i/i-V^--^ The Water ! the Water ! Where I have shed salt tears, In loneliness and friendliness, A thing of tender years. The Water ! the Water ! Where I have happy been, And showered upon its bosom flowers Culled from each meadow green ; 34 THE WATER! THE WATER! And idly hoped my life would be So crowned by love's idolatry. The Water ! the Water ! My heart yet burns to think I low cool thy fountain sparkled forth, For parched lip to drink. The Water ! the Water ! Of mine own native glen — The gladsome tongue I oft have heard, But ne'er shall hear again, Though fancy fills my ear for aye With sounds that live so far away ! The Water ! the Water ! The mild and glassy wave, Upon whose broomy banks I've longed To find my silent grave. The Water ! the Water ! Oh, blest to me thou art ! Thus sounding in life's solitude The music of my heart. And filling it, despite of sadness, With dreamings of departed gladness. The Water ! the Water ! The mournful, pensive tone That whispered to my heart how soon This weary life was done. The Water ! the Water ! That rolled so bright and free, And bade me mark how beautiful Was its soul's purity ; And how it glanced to heaven its wave. As, wandering on, it sought its grave. William Motherwell. "BREAK, BR1<:AK, BREAK." BRICAK, break, break On thy cokl gray stones, O Sea ! And I woukl that my tongue coukl utter The thoughts that arise in me. Oh well for the fisherman's boy That he shouts with his sister at play ! 36 BREAK, BREAK, BREAK. Oh well for the sailor-lad That he sings in his boat on the bay ! And the stately ships go on, To the haven under the hill ; But oh for the touch of a vanished hand, And the sound of a voice that is still ! Break, break, break ; At the foot of thy crags, O Sea ! But the tender grace of a day that is dead Will never come back to me. Alfred Tennyson. .^i- '-- > Comes, scarcely felt ; the barky trunks, the ground, The fresh moist ground, are all instinct with thee. Here is continual worship ; — Nature, here. In the tranquillity that thou dost love, 8 58 ^ FOREST HYMN. Enjoys thy presence. Noiselessly, around, From perch to perch, the solitary bird Passes; and yon clear spring, that midst its herbs, Wells softly forth and wandering steeps the roots Of half the mighty forest, tells no tale Of all the good it does. Thou hast not left Thyself without a witness, in these shades. Of thy perfections. Grandeur, strength, and grace Are here to speak of thee. This mighty oak — By whose immovable stem I stand and seem Almost annihilated — not a prince. In all that proud old world beyond the deep, E'er wore his crown so loftily as he Wears the green coronal of leaves with which Thy hand has graced him. Nestled at his root Is beauty, such as blooms not in the glare Of the broad sun. That delicate forest flower With scented breath, and look so like a smile, Seems, as it issues from the shapeless mould. An emanation of the indwelling Life, A visible token of the upholding Love, That are the soul of this wide universe. My heart is awed within me when I think Of the great miracle that still goes on, In silence, round me — the perpetual work Of thy creation, finished, yet renewed Forever. Written on thy works I read The lesson of thy own eternity. Lo ! all grow old and die — but see again, How on the faltering footsteps of decay Youth presses — ever gay and beautiful youth, In all its beautiful forms. These lofty trees Wave not less proudly that their ancestors // FOREST HYMN. 59 Moulder beneath thcin. Oh, there is not lost One of earth's charms ; upon her bosom yet, After the flight of untold centuries, The freshness of her far beginnin<^r lies And yet shall lie. Life mocks the idle hate Of his arch-enemy Death — yea, seats himself Upon the tyrant's throne — the sepulchre. And of the triumphs of his ghastly foe Miikes his own nourishment. For he came forth From thine own bosom, and shall have no end. There have been holy men who hid themselves Deep in the woody wilderness, and gave Their lives to thought and prayer, till they outlived The generation born with them, nor seemed Less aged than the hoary trees and rocks Around them ; — and there have been holy men Who deemed it were not well to pass life thus. But let me often to these solitudes Retire, and in thy presence reassure My feeble virtue. Here its enemies. The passions, at thy plainer footsteps shrink And tremble and are still. O God ! when thou Dost scare the world with tem[)ests, set on fire The heavens with falling thunderbolts, or fill With all the waters of the firmament The swift dark whirlwind that uproots the woods And drowns the villages ; when, at thy call. Uprises the great deep and throws himself Upon the continent, and overwhelms Its cities — who forgets not, at the sight Of these tremendous tokens of thy [)ower, His pride, and lays his strifes and follies by ? 6o ./ FOREST HYMN Oh, from these sterner aspects of tliy face Spare me and mine, nor let iis need the wrath Of the niatl uncliained elements to teach Who rules them. Be it ours to meditate, In these calm shades, thy milder majesty, And to the beautiful order of thy works Learn to conform the order of our lives. W C. Bkyant HYMN TO Till-: J-L0VV1':RS. DAY-STA1\.S! Ihat oixj your eyes witli morn to twinkle I'^'oni iMinbow galaxies of earth's creation, And (Icw-ilrops on her lonely altars sprinkle As a libation ! 62 HYMN TO THE FLOWERS. Ye matin worshippers ! who bending lowly Before the uprisen sun — God's lidless eye — Throw from your chalices a sweet and holy Incense on high ! Ye bright mosaics ! that with storied beauty The floor of Nature's temple tessellate, What numerous emblems of instructive duty Your forms create ! 'Neath cloistered boughs, each floral bell that swingeth And tolls its perfume on the passing air, Makes sabbath in the fields, and ever ringeth A call to prayer. Not to the domes where crumbling arch and column Attest the feebleness of mortal hand. But to that fane, most eatholic and solemn. Which God hath planned. To that cathedral, boundless as our wonder. Whose quenchless lamps the sun and moon supply — Its choir the winds and waves, its organ thunder, Its dome the sky. There — as in solitude and shade I wander Through the green aisles, or, stretched upon the sod, Awed by the silence, reverently ponder The ways of God — Your voiceless lips, O Flowers, are living preachers, Each cup a pulpit, and each leaf a book. Supplying to my fancy numerous teachers From loneliest nook. HYMN TO THE FLOWERS. Floral apostles ! that in dewy splendor " Weep without woe, and blush without a crime, O may I deeply learn, and ne'er surrender, Your lore sublime ! 63 " Thou wart not, Solomon ! in all thy glory, Arrayed," the lilies cry, " in robes like ours ; How vain your grandeur ! Ah, how transitory Are human flowers ! " In the sweet-scented pictures, Heavenly Artist ! With which thou paintest Nature's wide-spread hall, What a delightful lesson thou impartest Of love to all ! (54 THE VOICE OE AUTUMN. Not useless are yc, Mowers! thoiij^h made for pleasure Blooming o'er field and wave, by day and night, From every source your sanction bids me treasure Harmless delight. Ephemeral sages ! what instructors hoary For such a world of thought could furnish scope ? Each fading calyx a memento mori, Yet fount of hope. Posthumous glories ! angel-like collection ! Upraised from seed or bulb interred in earth, Ye are to me a type of resurrection, And second birth. Were I, O God, in churchless lands remaining. Far from all voice of teachers or divines. My soul would find, in flowers of Thy ordaining. Priests, sermons, shrines ! Horace Smith. THE VOICE OF AUTUMN. THERE comes from yonder height A soft, repining sound, Where forest-leaves are bright. And fall, like flakes of light, To the ground. It is the autumn breeze, That, lightly floating on. Just .skims the weedy leas. Just stirs the glowing trees. And is gone. THE VOICE OE AUTUMN. 6$ He moans by scdi;y brook, And visits with a sis^h The last pale flowers that look, From out their sunny nook, At the sky. O'er shouting children flies That light October wind, And, kissing checks and eyes, He leaves their merry cries Far behind j56 the voice oe autumn. And wanders on to make That soft, uneasy sound By distant wood and lake, Where distant fountains break From the p-round. No bower where maidens dwell Can win a moment's stay, Nor fair untrodden dell ; He sweeps the upland swell, And away. Mourn'st thou thy homeless state, O soft, repining wind ? That early seek'st and late The rest it is thy fate Not to find — Not on the mountain's breast, Not on the ocean's shore, In all the East and West : The wind that stops to rest Is no more. By valleys, woods, and springs. No wonder thou shouldst grieve For all the glorious things Thou touchest with thy wings. And must leave. W. C. Bryant. WINTER SONG. (^ UMMl'LR joys are o'er; ^ Flowerets bloom no more, 68 THE SEA. Wintry winds are sweeping; Through the snow-drifts, peeping Cheerful evergreen Rarely now is seen. Now no plumed throng Charms the wood with song; Ice-bound trees are glittering ; Merry snow-birds, twittering, Fondly strive to cheer Scenes so cold and drear. Winter, still I see Many charms in thee — Love thy chilly greeting, Snow-storms fiercely beating, And the dear delights Of the long, long nights. LuDwiG HoLTY. (Germjn.; Translation of" C. T. Brooks. THE SEA. '^"T^HE sea ! the sea ! the open sea ! -L The blue, the fresh, the ever free ! Without a mark, without a bound, It runneth the earth's wide regions round ; It plays with the clouds; it mocks the skies Or like a cradled creature lies. I'm on the sea! I'm on the sea! I am where I would ever be ; With the blue above, and the blue below, And silence wheresoe'er I go : If a storm should come and awake the deep, What matter ? I shall ride and sleep. I love, oh how I love to ride On the fierce, foaming, bursting tide, 70 THE SEA. When every mad wave drowns the moon, Or whistles aloft his tempest tune, And tells how goeth the world below, And why the sou'west blasts do' blow ! I never was on the dull, tame shore, But I loved the great sea more and more, And backward flew to her billowy breast, Like a bird that seeketh its mother's nest ; And a mother she was, and is, to me ; For I was born on the open sea ! The waves were white, and red the morn. In the noisy hour when I was born ; And the whale it whistled, the porpoise rolled, And the dolphins bared their backs of gold ; And never was heard such an outcry wild As welcomed to life the ocean-child ! I've lived since then, in calm and strife. Full fifty summers, a sailor's life, With wealth to spend, and power to range, But never have sought nor sighed for change ; And Death, whenever he comes to me. Shall come on the wild, unbounded sea ! Barry Cornwall. The sunny wall Presents the downy peach, the shining plum. The ruddy fragrant nectarine, and, dark Beneath his ample leaf, the luscious fig. Thomson. HYMN OF NATURE. GOD of the earth's extended plains ! The dark, green fields contented he ; The mountains rise like holy towers, Where man might commune with the sky ; The tall cliff challenges the storm That lowers upon the vale below. Where shaded fountains send their streams With joyous music in their flow. 72 HYMN OF NATURE. God of the dark and heavin<^ deep ! The waves He sleeping on the sands, Till the fierce trumpet of the storm Hath summoned up their thundering bands ; Then the white sails are dashed like foam, Or hurry, trembling, o'er the seas. Till, calmed by Thee, the sinking gale Serenely breathes, "Depart in peace." God of the forest's solemn shade ! The grandeur of the lonely tree. That wrestles singly with the gale, Lifts up admiring eyes to Thee ; But more majestic far they stand. When, side by side, their ranks they form, To wave on high their plumes of green, And fight their battles with the storm. God of the light and viewless air ! Where summer breezes sweetly flow. Or, gathering in their angry might, The fierce and wintry tempests blow ; All — from the evening's plaintive sigh, That hardly lifts the drooping flower. To the wild whirlwind's midnight cry, Breathe forth the language of Thy power. God of the fair and open sky ! How gloriously above us springs The tented dome, of heavenly blue, Suspended on the rainbow's rings ! Each brilliant star, that sparkles through. Each gilded cloud, that wanders free In evening's purple radiance, gives The beauty of its praise to Thee. HYMN OF NATURE. God of the rolling orbs above ! Thy name is written clearly bright In the warm day's unvarying blaze, Or evening's golden shower of light. ?}> ^^&' f ,K/:^^--- For every fire that fronts the sun, And every spark that walks alone Around the utmost verge of heaven, Were kindled at Thy burning throne. 10 74 THE SNOW-SHOWER. God of the world ! the hour must come, And Nature's self to dust return ; Her crumbling altars must decay, Her incense-fires shall cease to burn ; But still her grand and lovely scenes Have made man's warmest praises flow ; For hearts grow holier as they trace The beauty of the world below. W. B. O I'KAilODY. Tin<. SNOW-SHOWER. STAND here by my side, and turn, I pray, On the lake below thy gentle eyes ; The clouds hang over it, heavy and gray, And dark and silent the water lies ; And out of that frozen mist the snow In wavering flakes begins to flow; Flake after flake. They sink in the dark and silent lake. See how in a living swarm they come From the chambers beyond that misty veil. Some hover awhile in air, and some Ru.sh prone from the sky like summer hail. All, dropping swiftly or settling slow, Meet and are still in the depth below ; Make after flake Dissolved in the dark and silent lake. ^^..^^ Here delicate snow-stars, out of the cloud, Come floating downward in airy play, Like spangles dropped from the glistening crowd That whiten by night the milky way ; 1^ THE SNOW-SHOWER. There broader and burlier masses fall ; The sullen water buries them all; Flake after flake, All drowned in the dark and silent lake. And some, as on tender wings they glide From their chilly birth-cloud, dim and gray, Are joined in their fall, and, side by side, Come clinging along their unsteady way ; As friend with friend or husband with wife Makes hand in hand the passage of life ; Each mated flake Soon sinks in the dark and silent lake. Lo! while we are gazing, in swifter haste Stream down the snows, till the air is white, As, myriads by myriads madly chased, They fling themselves from their shadowy height. The fair frail creatures of middle sky, What speed they make, with their grave so nigh ; Flake after flake, To lie in the dark and silent lake ! I see in thy gentle eyes a tear ; They turn to me in sorrowful thought ; Thou thinkest of friends, the good and dear, Who were for a time and now are not ; Like these fair children of cloud and frost, That glisten a moment and then are lost, Flake after flake, All lost in the dark and silent lake. Yet look again, for the clouds divide ; A gleam of blue on the water lies; .•/ TRUE STORY OF A FAWN. 77 And far away, on the mountain-side, A sunbeam falls from the opening skie^. But the hurrying host that flew between The cloud and the water no more is seen ; Flake after flake, At rest in the dark and silent lake. W. C. Bryant A TRUE STORY OF A FAWN. DOWN from a mountain's craggy brow His homeward way a hunter took. By a path that wound to the vales below At the side of a leaping brook. Long and sore had his journey been, By the dust that clung to his forest green, By the stains on his broidered moccasin ; And over his shoulder his rifle hung. And pouch and horn at his girdle swung. The eve crept westward ; soft and pale The sunset poured its rosy flood. Slanting over the wooded vale : And the weary hunter stood Looking down on his cot below, Watching his children there at play — Watching the swing on the chestnut-bough Flit to and fro through the twilight gray, Till the dove's nest rocked on its quivering spray. Faint and far through the forest wide Came a hunter's voice, and a hound's deep cry ! ''^^ ^.j'.4:^-^^ Silence, that slept in the rocky dell, Scarcely waked as her sentinel Challenged the sound from the mountain -side. Over the valleys the echo died, And a doe sprang lightly by. And cleared the path, and panting stood With her trembling fawn by the leaping flood. She spanned the torrent at a bound. And swiftly onward, winged by fear, Fled as the cry of the deep-mouthed hound Fell louder on her ear ! THE BROOK-SIDE. ' 79 And, pausing by the waters deep, Too slight to stem their rapid flow, Too weak to dare the perilous leap, The fawn sprang wildly to and fro. Watching the flight of her lithe-limbed doe. Now she hung o'er the torrent's edge. And sobbed and wept as the waves shot by ; Now she paused on the rocky ledge, With head erect, and steadfast eye, Listening to the stag-hound's cry. Close from the forest the deep bay rang, Close in the forest the echoes died. And over the pathway the brown fawn sprang And crouched at the hunter's side. Deep in the thickets the boughs unclasped. Leaped apart with a crashing sound ; Under the lithe vines, sure and fast, Came on the exulting hound : Yet baffled, stopped to bay and glare Far from the torrent's bound ! For the weeping fawn still crouching there Shrank not nor fled, but closer pressed And laid her head on the hunter's breast. Edith May. THE BROOK-SIDE. I WANDERED by the brook-side, I wandered by the mill ; I could not hear the brook flow — The noisy wheel was still ; There was no burr of grasshopper, No chirp of any bird, But the beating of my own heart Was all the sound I heard. I sat beneath the elm-tree ; I watched the long, long shade, HYMN OF THE CITY. 8 1 And, as it grew still longer, I did not feel afraid ; For I listened for a footfall, I listened for a word — But the beating of my own heart Was all the sound I heard. He came not, — no, he came not — The night came on alone — The little stars sat one by one. Each on his golden throne; The evening wind passed by my cheek, The leaves above were stirred — But the beating of my own heart Was all the sound I heard. Fast silent tears were flowing, When something stood behind ; A hand was on my shoulder — I knew its touch was kind : It drew me nearer — nearer, — We did not speak one word. For the beating of our own hearts Was all the sound we heard. Richard Monckton Milnes. HYMN OF THE CITY. NOT in the solitude Alone may man commune with heaven, or see Only in savage wood And sunny vale, the present Deity ; Or only hear His voice Where the winds whisper and the waves rejoice. 11 jiNBWw*iras" IF ri^^^i-J, Even here do I behold Thy steps, Almighty ! — here, amidst the crowd. Through the great city rolled, With everlasting murmur deep and loud — • TO A SKYLARK. Choking the ways that wind 'Mongst the proud piles, the work of human kind. Thy golden sunshine comes From the round heaven, and on their dwelling lies, And lights their inner homes ; For them Thou fiU'st with air the unbounded skies, And givest them the stores Of ocean, and the harvests of its shores. Thy spirit is around. Quickening the restless mass that sweeps along; And this eternal sound — Voices and footfalls of the numberless throng — Like the resounding sea, Or like the rainy tempest, speaks of Thee. And when the hours of rest Come, like a calm upon the mid-sea brine. Hushing its billowy breast — The quiet of that moment too is Thine; It breathes of Him who keeps The vast and helpless city while it sleeps. W. C. Bryant. TO A SKYLARK. UP with me, up with me, into the clouds ! For thy song, lark, is strong, Up with me, up with me, into the clouds ! Singing, singing. With clouds and sky about thee ringing, 84 TO A SKYLARK. Lift me, guide me, till I find The spot which seems so to thy mind ! 1 have walked through wildernesses dreary, And to-day my heart is weary ; Had I now the wings of a Faery, Up to thee would I fly. There is madness about thee, and joy divine In that song of thine ; Lift me, guide me, high and high. To thy banqueting-place in the sky. Joyous as morning. Thou art laughing and scorning : Thou hast a nest for thy love and thy rest, And, though little troubled with sloth, Drunken lark ! thou wouldst be loath To be such a traveller as I. Happy, happy Liver, With a soul as strong as a mountain river, Pouring out praise to the Almighty Giver, Joy and jollity be with us both ! Alas ! my journey, rugged and uneven. Through prickly moors or dusty ways must wind ; But hearing thee, or others of thy kind, As full of gladness and as free of heaven, I, with my fate contented, will plod on, And hope for higher raptures when life's day is done. Vv'^iLLiA.M Wordsworth, ENGLISH CHURCHES. HOW beautiful they stand, Those ancient altars of our native land ! Amid the pasture-fields and dark, green woods, Amid the mountains' cloudy solitudes. By rivers broad that rush into the sea. By little brooks that, with a lapsing sound, Like playful children, run by copse and lea ! Each in its little plot of holy ground. How beautiful they stand. Those old gray churches of our native land ! Our lives are all turmoil ; Our souls are in a weary strife and toil, 86 ENGLISH CHURCHES. Grasping and straining — tasking nerve and brain, Both day and night, for gain ! We have grown worldly — have made gold our god, Have turned our hearts away from lowly things; We seek not now the wild flower on the sod ; We seek not snowy-folded angels' wings pji, Amid the summer skies — For visions come not to polluted eyes ! THE ANGLER'S WISH. 87 Yet, blessed quiet fanes ! Still piety, still poetry remains. And shall remain, whilst ever on the air One chapel-bell calls high and low to prayer — Whilst ever green and sunny churchyards keep The dust of our beloved, and tears are shed From founts which in the human heart lie deep ! Something in these aspiring days we need To keep our spirits lowly. To set within our hearts sweet thoughts and holy ! And 'tis for this they stand. The old gray churches of our native land ! And even in the gold-corrupted mart In the great city's heart, They stand! and chantry dim, and organ-sound, And stated services of prayer and praise. Like to the righteous ten which were not found For the polluted city, shall upraise. Meek faith and love sincere — Better in time of need than shield and spear ! L. E. Landon. THE ANGLER'S WISH. I IN these flowery meads would be : These crystal streams should solace me ; To whose harmonious, bubbling noise I, with my angle, would rejoice. Sit here, and see the turtle-dove Court his chaste mate to acts of love: 88 THE ANGLER'S WISH. Or, on that bank, feel the west wind Breathe health and plenty : please my mind, To see sweet dew-drops kiss these flowers, And then washed off by April showers ; Here, hear my kenna sing a song : There, see a blackbird feed her young. Or a laverock build her nest : Here give my weary spirits rest, And raise my low-pitched thoughts above Earth, or what poor mortals love. Thus, free from lawsuits, and the noise Of princes' courts, I would rejoice ; THE ARCTIC LOVER. 89 Or, with my Bryan and a book, Loiter long days near Shawford brook ; There sit by him, and eat my meat ; There see the sun both rise and set ; There bid good-morning to next day ; There meditate my time away ; And angle on ; and beg to have A quiet passage to a welcome grave. IzAAK Walton. THE ARCTIC LOVER. GONE is the long, long winter night; Look, my beloved one ! How glorious, through his depths of light, Rolls the majestic sun ! The willows, waked from winter's death, Give out a fragrance like thy breath — The summer is begun ! Ay, 'tis the long bright summer day : Hark to that mighty crash ! The loosened ice- ridge breaks away — The smitten waters flash. Seaward the glittering mountain rides. While, down its green translucent sides, The foamy torrents dash. See, love, my boat is moored for thee, By ocean's weedy floor — The petrel does not skim the sea More swiftly than my oar. 12 We'll go, where, on the rocky isles, Her eggs the screaming sea-fowl piles Beside the pebbly shore. THE DOG AND THE IVATER-LILV. qj Or, bide thou where the poppy blows, With wind-flowers frail and fair, While I, upon his isle of snows. Seek and defy the bear. Fierce though he be, and huge of frame, This arm his savage strength shall tame. And drag him from his lair. When crimson sky. and flamy cloud Bespeak the summer o'er, And the dead valleys wear a shroud Of snows that melt no more, I'll build of ice thy winter home, With glistening walls and glassy dome, And spread with skins the floor. The white fox by thy couch shall play; And, from the frozen skies, The meteors of a mimic day Shall flash upon thine eyes. And I — for such thy vow — meanwhile Shall hear thy voice and see thy smile, Till that long midnight flies. W. C. Bryant. THE DOG AND THE WATER-LILY. THE noon was shady, and soft airs Swept Ouse's silent tide, When, 'scaped from literary cares, I wandered by its side. 92 THE DOG AND THE WATER LILY. My spaniel, prettiest of the race, And high in pedigree (Two nymphs adorned with every grace That spaniel found for me), Now wantoned, lost in flags and reeds. Now starting into sight, Pursued the swallow o'er the meads, With scarce a slower flig-ht. It was the time when Ouse displayed Her lilies newly blown ; Their beauties I intent surveyed, And one I wished my own. THE DOG AND THE WATER-LILY, 93 With cane extended far, I sought To steer it close to land : But still the prize, though nearly caught, Escaped my eager hand. Beau marked my unsuccessful pains With fixed considerate face, And puzzling set his puppy brains To comprehend the case. But, with a chirrup clear and strong Dispersing all his dream, I thence withdrew, and followed long The windings of the stream. My ramble ended, I returned ; Beau, trotting far before. The floating wreath again discerned. And plunging left the shore. I saw him with that lily cropped Impatient swim to meet My quick approach, and soon he dropped The treasure at my feet. Charmed with the sight, " The world," I cried, " Shall hear of this thy deed: My dog shall mortify the pride Of man's superior breed : " But chief myself I will enjoin. Awake at duty's call, To show a love as prompt as thine To Him who gives me all." CoV\ FER. THE GLADNESS OF NATURE. IS this a time to be cloudy and sad, When our mother Nature laughs around ; When even the deep blue heavens look glad, And gladness breathes from the blossoming ground ? There are notes of joy from the hang-bird and wren, And the gossip of swallows through all the sky ; The ground-squirrel gayly chirps by his den, And the wilding bee hums merrily by. FOLDING THE FLOCKS. 95 The clouds are at play in the azure space, And their shadows at play on the bright-green vale, And here they stretch to the frolic chase, And there they roll on the easy gale. There's a dance of leaves in that aspen bower, There's a titter of winds in that beechen tree. There's a smile on the fruit and a smile on the flower, And a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea. And look at the broad-faced sun how he smiles On the dewy earth that smiles in his ray. On the leaping waters and gay young isles ; Ay, look, and he'll smile thy gloom away. W. C Bryant. FOLDING THE FLOCKS. SHEPHERDS all, and maidens fair. Fold your flocks up ; for the air 'Gins to thicken, and the sun Already his great course hath run. See the dew-drops, how they kiss Every little flower that is ; Hanging on their velvet heads, Like a string of crystal beads. See the heavy clouds low falling, And bright Hesperus down calling The dead night from under ground ; At whose rising, mists unsound, Damps and vapors, fly apace, And hover o'er the smiling face 96 FOLDING THE FLOCKS. Of these pastures ; where they come, Striking dead both bud and bloom. Therefore from such danger lock Every one his loved flock ; And let your dogs lie loose without, Lest the wolf come as a scout From the mountain, and ere day, Bear a lamb or kid away ; Or the crafty, thievish fox, Break upon your simple flocks. To secure yourself from these, Be not too secure in ease ; So shall you good shepherds prove. And deserve your master's love. Now, good-night ! may sweetest slumbers And soft silence fall in numbers On your eyelids. So farewell : Thus I end my evening knell. Beaumont and Fletcher. THE END, ^ 014 013 804 6 g