PRELUDE. PLEASANT it was, when woods were green, And winds were soft and low, To lie amid some sylvan scene, Where, the long drooping boughs between, Shadows dark and sunlight sheen Alternate come and go; Or where the denser grove receives But the dark foliage interweaves The shadows hardly move. B Beneath some patriarchal tree I lay upon the ground; Clapped their little hands in glee, As, when a bell no longer swings, O'er meadow, lake, and stream. And dreams of that which cannot die, Bright visions, came to me, As lapped in thought I used to lie, gaze into the summer sky, And Where the sailing clouds went by, Like ships upon the sea ; Dreams that the soul of youth engage Ere Fancy has been quelled; Old legends of the monkish page, Tales that have the rime of age, And chronicles of Eld. And, loving still these quaint old themes, Even in the city's throng I feel the freshness of the streams, That, crossed by shades and sunny gleams, Water the green land of dreams, The holy land of song. Therefore, at Pentecost, which brings The Spring, clothed like a bride, When nestling buds unfold their wings, I sought the woodlands wide. The green trees whispered low and mild; It was a sound of joy! They were my playmates when a child, Still they looked at me and smiled, And ever whispered, mild and low, O, I could not choose but go Into the woodlands hoar; Into the blithe and breathing air, Into the solemn wood, Solemn and silent everywhere! Nature with folded hands seemed there, Kneeling at her evening prayer! Like one in prayer I stood. Before me rose an avenue Of tall and sombrous pines; Abroad their fan-like branches grew, And, where the sunshine darted through, Spread a vapor soft and blue, In long and sloping lines. And, falling on my weary brain, Like a fast-falling shower, The dreams of youth came back again; Visions of childhood! Stay, O stay! And distant voices seemed to say, "It cannot be ! They pass away! Other themes demand thy lay; Thou art no more a child! |