Her form remains. The balmy walks of May There breathe perennial sweets: the trembling chord Resounds forever in the abstracted ear, Melodious; and the virgin's radiant eye, Superior to disease, to grief, and time, Shines with unbating lustre. Thus at length Endowed with all that nature can bestow, The child of fancy oft in silence bends O'er these mixed treasures of his pregnant breast With conscious pride. From them he oft resolves To frame he knows not what excelling things, And win he knows not what sublime reward Of praise and wonder. By degrees the mind Feels her young nerves dilate: the plastic powers Labor for action: blind emotions heave His bosom; and with loveliest frenzy caught, From earth to heaven he rolls his daring eye, From heaven to earth. Anon ten thousand shapes, Like spectres trooping to the wizard's call, Flit swift before him. From the womb of earth, From ocean's bed they come: the eternal heavens Disclose their splendors, and the dark abyss Pours out her births unknown. With fixed gaze He marks the rising phantoms. Now compares Their different forms; now blends them, now divides; Enlarges and extenuates by turns; Opposes, ranges in fantastic bands, And infinitely varies. Hither now, Now thither fluctuates his inconstant aim, With endless choice perplexed. At length his plan Begins to open. Lucid order dawns; And as from Chaos old the jarring seeds Of nature at the voice divine repaired Each to its place, till rosy earth unveiled Her fragrant bosom, and the joyful sun Sprung up the blue serene; by swift degrees Thus disentangled, his entire design Emerges. Colors mingle, features join, And lines converge: the fainter parts retire; The fairer eminent in light advance; And every image on its neighbor smiles. Awhile he stands, and with a father's joy Contemplates. Then with Promethean art Into its proper vehicle he breathes The fair conception which, embodied thus, And permanent, becomes to eyes or ears An object ascertained: while thus informed, The various objects of his mimic skill, The consonance of sounds, the featured rock, The shadowy picture, and impassioned verse, Beyond their proper powers attract the soul By that expressive semblance, while in sight Of nature's great original we scan The lively child of art; while line by line, And feature after feature, we refer To that divine exemplar whence it stole Those animating charms. Thus beauty's palm Betwixt them wavering hangs: applauding love Doubts where to choose; and mortal man aspires To tempt creative praise. Its lucid leaves unfolds: for him, the hand Of Autumn tinges every fertile branch With blooming gold, and blushes like the morn. Each passing hour sheds tribute from her wings; And still new beauties meet his lonely walk, And loves unfelt attract him. Not a breeze Flies o'er the meadow, not a cloud imbibes The setting sun's effulgence, not a strain From all the tenants of the warbling shade Ascends, but whence his bosom can partake Fresh pleasure unreproved. Nor thence partakes Fresh pleasure only: for th' attentive mind, By this harmonious action on her powers, HAVE you not heard the poets tell How came the dainty Babie Bell Into this world of ours? The gates of heaven were left ajar: With folded hands and dreamy eyes, Wandering out of Paradise, She saw this planet, like a star, She touched a bridge of flowers, those feet So light they did not bend the bells Hung in the glistening depths of She came and brought delicious May, The swallows built beneath the eaves; Like sunlight in and out the leaves, The robins went the livelong day; The lily swung its noiseless bell, Seemed bursting with its veins of How sweetly, softly, twilight fell! Came to this world of ours! O Babie, dainty Babie Bell, Those deep and tender twilight So full of meaning, pure and As if she yet stood in the light Was love so lovely born. The land beyond the morn. We said, Dear Christ! - Our hearts Like violets after rain. And now the orchards, which were white And red with blossoms when she came, 66 And all our thoughts ran into tears Were rich in autumn's mellow And what did dainty Babie Bell? prime: The clustered apples burnt like flame, The soft-cheeked peaches blushed and fell, The ivory chestnut burst its shell, The grapes hung purpling in the grange: And time wrought just as rich a change In little Babie Bell. She only crossed her little hands, She only looked more neek and fair! We parted back her silken hair: snow, Wrapt her from head to foot in flow- And thus went dainty Babie Bell |