THE PET LAMB. A PASTORAL. THE dew was falling fast, the stars began to blink; A snow-white mountain lamb, with a Maiden at its side. No other sheep were near, the lamb was all alone, The lamb, while from her hand he thus his supper took, 'T was little Barbara Lewthwaite, a child of beauty rare! Towards the lamb she looked; and from that shady place If Nature to her tongue could measured numbers bring, "What ails thee, young One? What? Why pull so at thy cord? Is it not well with thee? Well both for bed. and board ? Thy plot of grass is soft, and green as grass can be; Rest, little young One, rest; what is't that aileth thee? "What is it thou wouldst seek? What is wanting to thy heart? Thy limbs are they not strong? And beautiful thou art : This grass is tender grass; these flowers they have no peers; And that green corn all day is rustling in thy ears! "If the sun be shining hot, do but stretch thy woollen chain, This beech is standing by, its covert thou canst gain; For rain and mountain storms; the like thou need'st not fear,The rain and storm are things which scarcely can come here. "Rest, little young One, rest; thou hast forgot the day Many flocks were on the hills, but thou wert owned by none, He took thee in his arms, and in pity brought thee home: A blessed day for thee then whither wouldst thou roam ? A faithful nurse thou hast; the dam that did thee yean "Thou know'st that twice a day I have brought thee in this can Fresh water from the brook, as clear as ever ran; And twice in the day, when the ground is wet with dew, I bring thee draughts of milk, warm milk it is and new. Thy limbs will shortly be twice as stout as they are now, "It will not, will not rest!-poor creature, can it be "Alas, the mountain-tops that look so green and fair! "Here thou need'st not dread the raven in the sky; -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 spake with such a tone, That I almost received her heart into my own." INFLUENCE OF NATURAL OBJECTS IN CALLING FORTH AND STRENGTHENING THE IMAGINATION IN BOYHOOD AND EARLY YOUTH. WISDOM and Spirit of the universe! Thou Soul, that art the Eternity of thought! And everlasting motion! not in vain, By day or starlight, thus from my first dawn Nor was this fellowship vouchsafed to me In solitude, such intercourse was mine: 'Twas mine among the fields both day and night, And by the waters all the summer long. |