Among thy mountains did I feel The joy of my desire; And she I cherished turned her wheel Thy mornings showed, thy nights concealed, The bowers where Lucy played; And thine is too the last green field That Lucy's eyes surveyed. IV. THREE years she grew in sun and shower, On earth was never sown : "Myself will to my darling be In earth and heaven, in glade and bower To kindle or restrain. "She shall be sportive as the fawn, And hers shall be the breathing balm, Of mute, insensate things. The floating clouds their state shall lend To her; for her the willow bend; Nor shall she fail to see E'en in the motions of the storm Grace that shall mould the maiden's form By silent sympathy. "The stars of midnight shall be dear To her; and she shall lean her ear In many a secret place Where rivulets dance their wayward round, 1799. And vital feelings of delight Such thoughts to Lucy I will give Thus Nature spake-The work was done- This heath, this calm and quiet scene; The memory of what has been, And never more will be. v. A SLUMBER did my spirit seal; I had no human fears: She seemed a thing that could not feel No motion has she now, no force; She neither hears nor sees; Rolled round in earth's diurnal course, 1799. 1799. SOME POEMS RELATING TO I. A FAREWELL. COMPOSED IN THE YEAR 1802, BEFORE THE MARRIAGE OF WORDSWORTH. FAREWELL, thou little nook of mountain-ground, Of that magnificent temple which doth bound The loveliest spot that man hath ever found, Farewell! we leave thee to Heaven's peaceful care, Thee, and the cottage which thou dost surround. Our boat is safely anchored by the shore, And there will safely ride when we are gone: The flowering shrubs that deck our humble door Will prosper, though untended and alone. Fields, goods, and far-off chattels we have none: These narrow bounds contain our private store Of things earth makes, and sun doth shine upon; Here are they in our sight-we have no more. Sunshine and shower be with you, bud and bell! For two months now in vain we shall be sought; We leave you here in solitude to dwell With these our latest gifts of tender thought; Thou, like the morning, in thy saffron coat, Bright gowan, and marsh-marigold, farewell! Whom from the borders of the lake we brought, And placed together, near our rocky well. We go for one to whom ye will be dear; Dear spot! which we have watched with tender heed, Hast taken gifts which thou dost little need. And O most constant yet most fickle place, That hast thy wayward moods, as thou dost show To them who look not daily on thy face; Who, being loved, in love no bounds dost know, And sayest, when we forsake thee, “Let them go!" Thou easy-hearted thing, with thy wild race Of weeds and flowers, till we return be slow, And travel with the year at a soft pace. Help us to tell her tales of years gone by, And this sweet spring, the best beloved and best; Joy will be flown in its mortality; Something must stay to tell us of the rest. Here, thronged with primroses, the steep rock's breast Glittered at evening like a starry sky; And in this bush our sparrow built her nest, Of which I sang one song that will not die. O happy garden! whose seclusion deep Our spirits, carrying with them dreams of flowers, And, coming back with her who will be ours, Into thy bosom we again shall creep. 1802. II. "SHE WAS A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT." SHE was a phantom of delight A lovely apparition, sent To be a moment's ornament. Her eyes as stars of twilight fair; Like twilight's, too, her dusky hair; From May-time and the cheerful dawn- I saw her upon nearer view, A countenance in which did meet And now I see with eye serene With something of an angel light. 1804. III. THEREAFTER came One. She came, no more a phantom to adorn IV. By her exulting outside look of youth And placid under-countenance, first endeared; So near to us, that meek confiding heart, So reverenced by us both. V. --The Prelude. Book VI. O DEARER far than light and life are dear, Misgivings, hard to vanquish or control, Mix with the day and cross the hour of rest; If a faint sigh, not meant for human ear, |