"Here thou needst not dread the raven in the sky; Night and day thou art safe,-our cottage is hard by. Why bleat so after me? why pull so at thy chain? Sleep-and at break of day I will come to thee again!" As homeward through the lane I went with lazy feet, This song to myself did I oftentimes repeat; And it seemed, as I retraced the ballad line by line, That but half of it was hers, and one half of it was mine. Again, and once again, did I repeat the song, "Nay," said I, "more than half to the damsel must belong, For she looked with such a look, and she spoke with such a tone, That I almost received her heart into my own." Wordsworth. ADDRESS TO A CHILD DURING A BOISTEROUS WINTER EVENING. What way does the Wind come? What way does he go? He rides over the water, and over the snow, Through wood, and through vale; and o'er rocky height, Which the goat cannot climb, takes his sounding flight; He tosses about in every bare tree, As, if you look up, you plainly may see: He will suddenly stop in a cunning nook, There's nothing to see but a cushion of snow Nothing but silence and empty space; Save, in a corner, a heap of dry leaves, As soon as 'tis daylight, to-morrow, with me You shall go to the orchard, and then you will see That he has been there, and made a great rout, And cracked the branches, and strewn them about: Heaven grant that he spare but that one upright twig That looked up at the sky so proud and big, Studded with apples, a beautiful show! Hark! over the roof he makes a pause, And burns with a clear and steady light; Books have we to read,—but that half stifled .knell, Alas! 'tis the sound of the eight o'clock bell. 1 Come, now we'll to bed! and when we are there He may work his own will, and what shall we care? He may knock at the door,-we'll not let him in ; May drive at the windows,-we'll laugh at his din: Let him seek his own home, wherever it be ; Here's a cozie warm house for Edward and me. By a female friend of Wordsworth. SHE WAS A PHANTOM OF DELIGHT. She was a Phantom of delight To be a moment's ornament; Her household motions light and free, And steps of virgin liberty; A countenance in which did meet And now I see with eye serene |