Deeply the turtle coos; shrilly the owlet halloos ; Winds creep; dews fall chilly: in her first sleep earth breathes stilly : Over the pools in the burn watergnats murmur and mourn Sadly the far kine loweth the glimmering water outfloweth Twin peaks shadowed with pine slope to the dark hyaline. Lowthroned Hesper is stayed between the two peaks; but the Naiad Throbbing in mild unrest holds him beneath in her breast. The antient poetess singeth, that Hesperus all things bringeth, Smoothing the wearied mind: bring me my love, Rosalind. Thou comest morning and even; she cometh not morning or even. False-eyed Hesper, unkind, where is my sweet Rosalind? (1830) X THE "HOW" AND THE "WHY" I AM any man's suitor, If any will be my tutor : Some say this life is pleasant, Some think it speedeth fast : In time there is no present, In eternity no past. We laugh, we cry, we are born, we die, Who will riddle me the how and the why? The bulrush nods unto its brother, The wheatears whisper to each other : What is it they say? What do they there? Why two and two make four? Why round is not square? Why the rock stands still, and the light clouds fly? Why the heavy oak groans, and the white willows sigh? Why deep is not high, and high is not deep? Whether we wake, or whether we sleep? Whether we sleep, or whether we die? Who will riddle me the how and the why? The world is somewhat; it goes on somehow ; I feel there is something; but how and what? The little bird pipeth-" why? why?" In the summerwoods when the sun falls low What the life is ? where the soul may lie? Who will riddle me the how and the what? XI MARIANA "Mariana in the moated grange."-Measure for Measure. Were thickly crusted, one and all : She only said, "My life is dreary, Her tears fell with the dews at even; Her tears fell ere the dews were dried; After the flitting of the bats, When thickest dark did trance the sky, Upon the middle of the night, Waking she heard the night-fowl crow : From the dark fen the oxen's low Came to her without hope of change, In sleep she seem'd to walk forlorn, Till cold winds woke the gray-eyed morn About the lonely moated grange. She only said, "The day is dreary, He cometh not," she said; About a stone-cast from the wall A sluice with blacken'd waters slept, And o'er it many, round and small, The cluster'd marish-mosses crept. Hard by a poplar shook alway, All silver-green with gnarled bark: She only said, "My life is dreary, And ever when the moon was low, She saw the gusty shadow sway. And wild winds bound within their cell, Upon her bed, across her brow. She only said, "The night is dreary, All day within the dreamy house, Or from the crevice peer'd about. Old faces glimmer'd thro' the doors, (1853) The sparrow's chirrup on the roof, The poplar made, did all confound ΤΟ XII I CLEAR-HEADED friend, whose joyful scorn, Ray-fringed eyelids of the morn Roof not a glance so keen as thine: 2 Low-cowering shall the Sophist sit; Falsehood shall bare her plaited brow : A gentler death shall Falsehood die, 3 Weak Truth a-leaning on her crutch, Wan, wasted Truth in her utmost need, Until she be an athlete bold, And weary with a finger's touch Those writhed limbs of lightning speed; Until the breaking of the light, Wrestled with wandering Israel, Past Yabbok brook the livelong night, And heaven's mazed signs stood still In the dim tract of Penuel. (1853) XIII MADELINE I THOU art not steep'd in golden languors, No tranced summer calm is thine, Ever varying Madeline. Thro' light and shadow thou dost range, Sudden glances, sweet and strange, Delicious spites and darling angers, And airy forms of flitting change. 2 Smiling, frowning, evermore, Thou art perfect in love-lore. Frowns perfect-sweet along the brow Thy smile and frown are not aloof Each to each is dearest brother; 3 A subtle, sudden flame, By veering passion fann'd, About thee breaks and dances; When I would kiss thy hand, The flush of anger'd shame O'erflows thy calmer glances, |