Front door and back of the moss'd old farmhouse Open with the morn, and in a breezy link Freshly sparkles garden to stripe-shadow'd orchard, Swarms, and the blackbird's mellow fluting notes Cool was the woodside; cool as her white dairy Keeping sweet the cream-pan; and there the boys from school, Cricketing below, rush'd brown and red with sunshine; Said, 'I will kiss you': she laugh'd and lean'd her cheek. Doves of the fir-wood walling high our red roof Through the long noon coo, crooning through the coo. Loose droop the leaves, and down the sleepy roadway Sometimes pipes a chaffinch; loose droops the blue. Cows flap a slow tail knee-deep in the river, Breathless, given up to sun and gnat and fly. O the golden sheaf, the rustling treasure-armful! O the treasure-tresses one another over Nodding! O the girdle slack about the waist! Slain are the poppies that shot their random scarlet Large and smoky red the sun's cold disk drops, Eastward large and still lights up a bower of moonrise, Nightlong on black print-branches our beech-tree Gossips count her faults; they scour a narrow chamber Plucks at my heart and leads me by the ear. Earth and air, may have faults from head to feet. Hither she comes; she comes to me; she lingers, Yet am I the light and living of her eyes. Something friends have told her fills her heart to brimming, Nets her in her blushes, and wounds her, and tames.— Sure of her haven, O like a dove alighting, Arms up, she dropp'd: our souls were in our names. Soon will she lie like a white frost sunrise. Yellow oats and brown wheat, barley pale as rye, Swift with the to-morrow, green-wing'd Spring! Soft new beech-leaves, up to beamy April Spreading bough on bough a primrose mountain, you Lucid in the moon, raise lilies to the skyfields, Youngest green transfused in silver shining through: Borne to me by dreams when dawn is at my eyelids: Could I fnd a place to be alone with heaven, I would speak my heart out: heaven is my need. Every woodland tree is flushing like the dogwood, Flashing like the whitebeam, swaying like the reed. Flushing like the dogwood crimson in October; Streaming like the flag-reed South-west blown; Flashing as in gusts the sudden-lighted whitebeam: All seem to know what is for heaven alone. 710 ALEXANDER SMITH ON the Sabbath-day, [1829-1867] BARBARA Through the churchyard old and grey, Over the crisp and yellow leaves, I held my rustling way; And amid the words of mercy, falling on my soul like balms; 'Mid the gorgeous storms of music-in the mellow organcalms, 'Mid the upward streaming prayers, and the rich and solemn psalms, I stood careless, Barbara. My heart was otherwhere While the organ shook the air, And the priest, with outspread hands, blessed the people with a prayer; But, when rising to go homeward, with a mild and saint-like shine Gleamed a face of airy beauty with its heavenly eyes on mine Gleamed and vanished in a moment-O that face was surely thine Out of heaven, Barbara! O pallid, pallid face! O earnest eyes of grace! When last I saw thee, dearest, it was in another place. You came running forth to meet me with my love-gift on your wrist: The flutter of a long white dress, then all was lost in mistA purple stain of agony was on the mouth I kissed, That wild morning, Barbara! I searched in my despair, Sunny noon and midnight air; I could not drive away the thought that you were lingering there. O many and many a winter night I sat when you were gone, My worn face buried in my hands, beside the fire alone. Within the dripping churchyard, the rain plashing on your stone, You were sleeping, Barbara. 'Mong angels, do you think Of the precious golden link I clasped around your happy arm while sitting by yon brink? Or when that night of gliding dance, of laughter and guitars, Was emptied of its music, and we watched, through latticed bars, The silent midnight heaven creeping o'er us with its stars, Till the day broke, Barbara? In the years I've changed; Wild and far my heart hath ranged, And many sins and errors now have been on me avenged; But to you I have been faithful, whatsoever good I lacked: I loved you, and above my life still hangs that love intact Your love the trembling rainbow, I the reckless cataract. Still I love you, Barbara! Yet, love, I am unblest; With many doubts oppressed, I wander like a desert wind, without a place of rest. Could I but win you for an hour from off that starry shore, The hunger of my soul were stilled, for Death hath told you more Than the melancholy world doth know; things deeper than all lore Will you teach me, Barbara? In vain, in vain, in vain, You will never come again. There droops upon the dreary hills a mournful fringe of rain; The gloaming closes slowly round, loud winds are in the tree, Round selfish shores for ever moans the hurt and wounded sea, There is no rest upon the earth, peace is with Death and thee, Barbara! 711 CHARLES DICKENS [1812-1870] THE IVY GREEN Он, a dainty plant is the Ivy green, Of right choice food are his meals I ween, In his cell so lone and cold. The wall must be crumbled, the stone decayed, And the mouldering dust that years have made Creeping where no life is seen, A rare old plant is the Ivy green. Fast he stealeth on, though he wears no wings, How closely he twineth, how tight he clings And slily he traileth along the ground, As he joyously hugs and crawleth round |