Publisher's Synopsis
General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1871 Original Publisher: T. Nelson and Sons Subjects: Literary Criticism / Poetry Poetry / General Poetry / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: Xxiil MICHAEL. A PASTORAL POEM. I from the public way you turn your steps Up to the tumultuous brook of Grecnhead Uhyll, You will suppose that with an upright path Your feet must struggle; in such bold ascent The pastoral mountains front yon, face to face. But, courage! for beside that boist'rous brook The mountains have all opened out themselves, And made a hidden valley of their own. Mo habitation there is seen; but such As journey thither find themselves alone With a few sheep, with rocks and stones, and kites That overhead are sailing in the sky. It is in truth an utter solitude; Nor should I have made mention of this dell But for one object which you might pass by, Might see and notice not. Beside the brook There is a straggling heap of unhewn stones! And to that place a story appertains, Which, though it be ungarmshed with events, Is not unfit, I deem, for the fireside, Or for the summer shade. It was the first, The earliest of those tales that spake to me Of shepherds, dwellers in the valleys, men Whom I already loved -- not verily For their own sakes, but for the fields and hilla Where was their occupation and abode. And hence this tale, while I was yet a boy Careless of books, yet having felt the power Of Nature, by the gentle agency Of natural objects led me on to feel For passions that were not my own, and think At random and imperfectly, indeed) On man, the heart of man, and human life. ...
