Volume Ii Part 9 (1/2)

What happy moments did I count!

Bless'd was I then all bliss above!

Now, for this consecrated Fount Of murmuring, sparkling, living love, What have I? shall I dare to tell?

A comfortless, and hidden WELL.

A Well of love--it may be deep-- I trust it is, and never dry: What matter? if the Waters sleep In silence and obscurity.

--Such change, and at the very door Of my fond Heart, hath made me poor.

I am not One who much or oft delight To season my fireside with personal talk, About Friends, who live within an easy walk, Or Neighbours, daily, weekly, in my sight: And, for my chance-acquaintance, Ladies bright, Sons, Mothers, Maidens withering on the stalk, These all wear out of me, like Forms, with chalk Painted on rich men's floors, for one feast-night.

Better than such discourse doth silence long, Long, barren silence, square with my desire; 10 To sit without emotion, hope, or aim, By my half-kitchen my half-parlour fire, And listen to the flapping of the flame, Or kettle, whispering it's faint undersong.

”Yet life,” you say, ”is life; we have seen and see, And with a living pleasure we describe; And fits of sprightly malice do but bribe The languid mind into activity.

Sound sense, and love itself, and mirth and glee, Are foster'd by the comment and the gibe.” 20 Even be it so: yet still among your tribe, Our daily world's true Worldlings, rank not me!

Children are blest, and powerful; their world lies More justly balanced; partly at their feet, And part far from them:--sweetest melodies Are those that are by distance made more sweet; Whose mind is but the mind of his own eyes He is a Slave; the meanest we can meet!

Wings have we, and as far as we can go We may find pleasure: wilderness and wood, 30 Blank ocean and mere sky, support that mood Which with the lofty sanctifies the low: Dreams, books, are each a world; and books, we know, Are a substantial world, both pure and good: Round these, with tendrils strong as flesh and blood, Our pastime and our happiness will grow.

There do I find a never-failing store Of personal themes, and such as I love best; Matter wherein right voluble I am: Two will I mention, dearer than the rest; 40 The gentle Lady, married to the Moor; And heavenly Una with her milk-white Lamb.

Nor can I not believe but that hereby Great gains are mine: for thus I live remote From evil-speaking; rancour, never sought, Comes to me not; malignant truth, or lie.

Hence have I genial seasons, hence have I Smooth pa.s.sions, smooth discourse, and joyous thought: And thus from day to day my little Boat Rocks in its harbour, lodging peaceably. 50 Blessings be with them, and eternal praise, Who gave us n.o.bler loves, and n.o.bler cares, The Poets, who on earth have made us Heirs Of truth and pure delight by heavenly lays!

Oh! might my name be numbered among theirs, Then gladly would I end my mortal days.

Yes! full surely 'twas the Echo, Solitary, clear, profound, Answering to Thee, shouting Cuckoo!

Giving to thee Sound for Sound.

Whence the Voice? from air or earth?

This the Cuckoo cannot tell; But a startling sound had birth, As the Bird must know full well;

Like the voice through earth and sky By the restless Cuckoo sent; 10 Like her ordinary cry, Like--but oh how different!

Hears not also mortal Life?

Hear not we, unthinking Creatures!

Slaves of Folly, Love, or Strife, Voices of two different Natures?

Have not We too? Yes we have Answers, and we know not whence; Echoes from beyond the grave, Recogniz'd intelligence? 20

Such within ourselves we hear Oft-times, ours though sent from far; Listen, ponder, hold them dear; For of G.o.d, of G.o.d they are!