The Love of Nature.
Where the green banners of the forest float,1
Where, from the Sun’s imperial domain,2
Armour’d in gold, attentive to the note3
Of piping birds, the sturdy trees remain,4
Those never-angered armies ; where the plain5
Boasts to the day its bosom ornaments6
Of corn and fruitage ; where the low refrain7
Of seaside music song on song invents,8
Laden with placid thought, whereto the heart
assents,9
assents,9
Often I wander. Nor does the light Noon,10
Garrulous to man’s eye, declaring all11
That Morning pale (watched by her spectre moon,12
Or solemn Vesper, seated near the pall13
Of Day) holds unrevealed ; nor does the fall14
Of curtain on our human pantomime,15
The sweeping by of Day’s black funeral16
Through Night’s awe-stricken realms, with tread
sublime,17
sublime,17
Chiefly delight my heart ; beauty pervades all time.18
Morning : the Day is innocent, and weeps :19
Noon : she is wedded and enjoys the Earth ;20
Evening : wearied of the world she sleeps.21
Night watches till another Day has birth.22
The innocence of Morning, and the mirth23
Of Noon, the holy calm of Eventide,24
The watching while Day is not, there is dearth25
Of joy within his soul who hath not cried :26
“ I welcome all, O God,—share all Thou wilt
provide !”27
provide !”27