3. 3. The wild swan's death-hymn took the Thou wilt not turn upon thy bed; soul Of that waste place with joy Sometimes afar, and sometimes anear, Chanteth not the brooding bee Thou wilt never raise thine head 4. Crocodiles wept tears for thec; Rain makes music in the tree With shawms, and with cymbals, and O'er the green that folds thy grave. harps of gold, And the tumult of their acclaim is roll'd Thro' the open gates of the city afar, To the shepherd who watcheth the evening star. [ing weeds, And the creeping mosses and clamberAnd the willow-branches hoar and dank, [reeds, And the wavy swell of the soughing And the wave-worn horns of the echoing band, [throng And the silvery marish-flowers that The desolate creeks and pools among, Were flooded over with eddying song. A DIRGE. I. Now is done thy long day's work; Shadows of the silver birk 2. Thee nor carketh care nor slander; Let them rave. Oh! what a happy life were mine Under the hollow-hung ocean green! Soft are the moss-beds under the sea; We would live merrily, merrily. THE MERMAID. I. WHO would be 2. I would be a mermaid fair; I would sing to myself the whole of the day; [my hair; With a comb of pearl I would comb And still as I comb'd I would sing and say, [me? "Who is it loves me? who loves not I would comb my hair till my ringlets would fall, Low adown, low adown, With a shrill inner sound, Over the throne In the midst of the hall: Till that great sea-snake under the sea From his coiled sleeps in the central deeps Would slowly trail himself sevenfold Round the hall where I sate, and look in at the gate [of me. With his large calm eyes for the love And all the mermen under the sea Would feel their immortality Die in their hearts for the love of me. 3. But at night I would wander away, away, [flowing locks, I would fling on each side my lowAnd lightly vault from the throne and play [rocks; With the mermen in and out of the sea. We would run to and fro, and hide and seek, [son shells, On the broad sea-wolds in the crimWhose silvery spikes are nighest the [shriek, But if any came near I would call, and And adown the steep like a wave I would leap [from the dells; From the diamond-ledges that jut For I would not be kiss'd by all who would list, [sea; Of the bold merry mermen under the They would sue me, and woo me, and flatter me, In the purple twilights under the sea; But the king of them all would carry SONNET TO J. M. K. My hope and heart is with thee-thou wilt be A latter Luther, and a soldier-priest To scare church-harpies from the master's feast; [thee; Our dusted velvets have much need of Thou art no sabbath-drawler of old saws, Distill'd from some worm-canker'd homily; But spurr'd at heart with fieriest energy To embattail and to wall about thy cause With iron-worded proof, hating to hark The humming of the drowsy pulpitdrone [worn-out clerk Half God's good sabbath, while the Brow-beats his desk below. Thou from a throne [dark Mounted in heaven wilt shoot into the Arrows of lightnings. I will stand and mark. POEMS. (PUBLISHED 1832.) [This division of this volume was published in the winter of 1832. Some of the poems have been considerably altered. Others have been added, which, with one exception, were written in 1833.] THE LADY OF SHALOTT. PART I. ON either side the river lie Long fields of barley and of rye, To many tower'd Camelot; The island of Shalott. Willows whiten, aspens quiver, Flowing down to Camelot. The Lady of Shalott. By the margin, willow-veil'd, Skimming down to Camelot : Only reapers, reaping early Down to tower'd Camelot : And by the moon the reaper weary, Piling sheaves in uplands airy, Listening, whispers, ""Tis the fairy Lady of Shalott." PART II. THERE she weaves by night and day To look down to Camelot. And moving thro' a mirror clear That hangs before her all the year, Shadows of the world appear. There she sees the highway near Winding down to Camelot : There the river eddy whiris, And there the surly village-churls, And the red cloaks of market girls, Pass onward from Shalott. Sometimes a troop of damsels glad, But in her web she still delights And music, went to Camelot : |