THE ISLET.

HITHER, O whither, love, shall we go,

"WH

For a score of sweet little summers or so,"

The sweet little wife of the singer said,

On the day that follow'd the day she was wed,
"Whither, O whither, love, shall we go
And the singer shaking his curly head
Turn'd as he sat, and struck the keys
There at his right with a sudden crash,
Singing, "And shall it be over the seas
With a crew that is neither rude nor rash,
But a bevy of Eroses apple-cheek'd,

In a shallop of crystal ivory-beak'd,

With a satin sail of a ruby glow,

To a sweet little Eden on earth that I know,
A mountain islet pointed and peak'd;
Waves on a diamond shingle dash,
Cataract brooks to the ocean run,
Fairily-delicate palaces shine

Mixt with myrtle and clad with vine,
And overstream'd and silvery-streak'd

With many a rivulet high against the Sun
The facets of the glorious mountain flash
Above the valleys of palm and pine."

"Thither, O thither, love, let us go."

"No, no, no!

For in all that exquisite isle, my dear,

THE RINGLET.

There is but one bird with a musical throat,
And his compass is but of a single note,
That it makes one weary to hear.”

"Mock me not! mock me not! love, let us go."

For the bud ever breaks into bloom on the tree,
And a storm never wakes on the lonely sea,
And a worm is there in the lonely wood,
That pierces the liver and blackens the blood,
And makes it a sorrow to be."

THE RINGLET.

"YOUR ringlets, your ringlets,

If

That look so golden-gay,

you will give me one, but one,

To kiss it night and day,

Then never chilling touch of Time

Will turn it silver-gray;

And then shall I know it is all true gold

To flame and sparkle and stream as of old,
Till all the comets in heaven are cold,
And all her stars decay."

"Then take it, love, and put it by;

This cannot change, nor yet can I."

73

2.

My ringlet, my ringlet,

That art so golden-gay,

Now never chilling touch of Time

Can turn thee silver-gray;

And a lad may wink, and a girl may hint,
And a fool may say his say;

For my doubts and fears were all amiss,
And I swear henceforth by this and this,
That a doubt will only come for a kiss,
And a fear to be kiss'd away."
"Then kiss it, love, and put it by:
If this can change, why so can I.”

II.

O Ringlet, O Ringlet,

I kiss'd you night and day, And Ringlet, O Ringlet,

You still are golden-gay,

But Ringlet, O Ringlet,

You should be silver-gray:

For what is this which now I'm told,

I that took you for true gold,

She that gave you's bought and sold, Sold, sold.

2.

O Ringlet, O Ringlet,

She blush'd a rosy red,

When Ringlet, O Ringlet,

She clipt you from her head,

And Ringlet, O Ringlet,

THE BROOK.

She gave you me, and said,
"Come, kiss it, love, and put it by;
If this can change, why so can I."

O fie, you golden nothing, fie
You golden lie.

3.

O Ringlet, O Ringlet,

I count you much to blame, For Ringlet, O Ringlet,

You put me much to shame,
So Ringlet, O Ringlet,

I doom you to the flame.
For what is this which now I learn,
Has given all my faith a turn?
Burn, you glossy heretic, burn,
Burn, burn.

75

I

THE BROOK.

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 ridges,
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.