"Yet life," you say,

"is life; we have seen and see,

And with a living pleasure we describe;

And fits of sprightly malice do but bribe

The languid mind into activity.

Sound sense, and love itself, and mirth and glee,
Are fostered by the comment and the gibe."
Even be it so yet still among your tribe,
Our daily world's true Worldlings, rank not me!
Children are blest, and powerful; their world lies
More justly balanced; partly at their feet,
And part far from them :-sweetest melodies
Are those that are by distance made more sweet;
Whose mind is but the mind of his own eyes.
He is a Slave; the meanest we can meet!

Wings have we,-and as far as we can go
We may find pleasure: wilderness and wood,

Blank ocean and mere sky, support that mood

Which with the lofty sanctifies the low:

Dreams, books, are each a world; and books, we know,

Are a substantial world, both pure and good:

Round these, with tendrils strong as flesh and blood,

Our pastime and our happiness will grow.

There do I find a never-failing store

Of personal themes, and such as I love best;
Matter wherein right voluble I am :

Two will I mention, dearer than the rest;
The gentle Lady, married to the Moor;

And heavenly Una with her milk-white Lamb.

Nor can I not believe but that hereby
Great gains are mine: for thus I live remote
From evil-speaking; rancour, never sought,
Comes to me not; malignant truth, or lie.
Hence have I genial seasons, hence have I
Smooth passions, smooth discourse, and joyous thought:
And thus from day to day my little Boat
Rocks in its harbour, lodging peaceably.
Blessings be with them—and eternal praise,
Who gave us nobler loves, and nobler cares,
The Poets, who on earth have made us Heirs
Of truth and pure delight by heavenly lays!
Oh! might my name be numbered among theirs,
Then gladly would I end my mortal days.

XXI.

INCIDENT,

Characteristic of a favourite Dog, which belonged to a
Friend of the Author.

ON his morning rounds the Master
Goes to learn how all things fare;
Searches pasture after pasture,
Sheep and Cattle eyes with care;
And, for silence or for talk,

He hath Comrades in his walk;

Four Dogs, each pair of different breed,
Distinguished two for scent, and two for speed.

See, a Hare before him started!

-Off they fly in earnest chace;

Every Dog is eager-hearted,

All the four are in the race!

And the Hare whom they pursue

Hath an instinct what to do;

Her hope is near: no turn she makes;

But, like an arrow, to the River takes.

Deep the River was, and crusted
Thinly by a one night's frost;

But the nimble Hare hath trusted

To the ice, and safely crost;

She hath crost, and without heed

All are following at full speed,

When, lo! the ice, so thinly spread,

Breaks-and the Greyhound, DART, is over head!

Better fate have PRINCE and SWALLOW

See them cleaving to the sport!

MUSIC has no heart to follow,

Little MUSIC, she stops short.

She hath neither wish nor heart,

Hers is now another part:

A loving Creature she, and brave!

And fondly strives her struggling Friend to save.

From the brink her paws she stretches,

Very hands as you would say!

And afflicting moans she fetches,

As he breaks the ice away.

For herself she hath no fears,

Him alone she sees and hears,—

Makes efforts and complainings; nor gives o'er

Until her Fellow sunk, and reappeared no more.

XXII.

TRIBUTE

TO THE MEMORY OF THE SAME DOG.

LIE here sequestered:-be this little mound
For ever thine, and be it holy ground!

Lie here, without a record of thy worth,
Beneath the covering of the common earth!
It is not from unwillingness to praise,

Or want of love, that here no Stone we raise;
More thou deserv'st; but this Man gives to Man,
Brother to Brother, this is all we can.

Yet they to whom thy virtues made thee dear Shall find thee through all changes of the year:

This Oak points out thy grave; the silent Tree Will gladly stand a monument of thee.