Beneath those lofty firs, that overtop Their ancient neighbour, the old steeple-tower, Came forth to greet me; and when he had asked, I, like a Runic Priest, in characters Of formidable size had chiselled out —'Twas that delightful season when the broom, Our pathway led us on to Rotha's banks; And when we came in front of that tall rock That eastward looks, I there stopped short*—and stood Tracing the lofty barrier with my eye From base to summit; such delight I found To note in shrub and tree, in stone and flower Along so vast a surface, all at once, In one impression, by connecting force * Which looks towards the east, I there stopped short.-Edit. 1815. -When I had gazed perhaps two minutes' space, That ravishment of mine, and laughed aloud. Carried the Lady's voice,-old Skiddaw blew To me alone imparted, sure I am† That there was a loud uproar in the hills. * Mr. Wordsworth admitted that the effect of the lady's laugh, as described, is an extravagance, yet I have myself heard him suggest that from this passage Lord Byron took the hint for the conclusion of his famous ninety-second stanza of the third Canto of Childe Harold "Far along From peak to peak the rattling crags among Leaps the live thunder! Not from one lone cloud, And Jura answers through her misty shroud Is not for me to tell, but sure I am-Edit. 1815. To shelter from some object of her fear. -And hence, long afterwards, when eighteen moons Note.-In Cumberland and Westmoreland are several Inscriptions, upon the native rock, which, from the wasting of time, and the rudeness of the workmanship, have been mistaken for Runic. They are without doubt Roman. The Rotha, mentioned in this poem, is the River which, flowing through the lakes of Grasmere and Rydale, falls into Wynandermere. On Helmcrag, that impressive single mountain at the head of the Vale of Grasmere, is a rock which from most points of view bears a striking resemblance to an old Woman cowering. Close by this rock is one of those fissures or caverns, which in the language of the country are called dungeons. Most of the mountains here mentioned immediately surround the Vale of Grasmere; of the others, some are at a considerable distance, but they belong to the same cluster. III. THERE IS AN EMINENCE.* THERE is an Eminence,-of these our hills * It arises above the road by the side of Grasmere Lake towards Keswick and its name is Stone Arthur. The statement that it could be seen from the orchard of the Town-end cottage was a poetic fiction. † this Cliff, so high.-Edit. 1815. Is visible; and often seems to send Hath to this lonely Summit given my Name. 1800. IV. POINT RASH-JUDGMENT. A NARROW girdle of rough stones and crags, Of copse and thicket, leaves the eastern shore -Ill suits the road with one in haste; but we Such objects as the waves had tossed ashore- * The character of the Eastern shore of Grasmere Lake is now quite changed by the public road being carried along by its side. † Coleridge and Miss Wordsworth. Each on the other heaped, along the line Of the dry wreck. And, in our vacant mood, Not seldom did we stop to watch some tuft Of dandelion seed or thistle's beard, That skimmed the surface of the dead calm lake, That was its wings, its chariot, and its horse, On which it grew, or to be left alone On Grasmere's beach, than Naiad by the side Sole-sitting by the shores of old romance.† : -So fared we that bright morning from the fields, Of reapers, men and women, boys and girls. * Its very playmate, and its moving soul.-Edit. 1815. This passage, is spoken of by Professor Wilson in the strongest terms of eulogy that even his expressive vocabulary could supply. And in the fashion which I have described Feeding unthinking fancies, we advanced -Edit. 1815. |