SWEET valley, whose streams flow as sparkling and bright As the stars that descend in the depths of the night; Whose violets fling their rich breath on the air, Sweet spendthrifts of treasure the Spring has flung there. My lot is not with thee, 'tis far from thine own; Nor thus, amid Summer and solitude thrown: But still it is something to gaze upon thee, And bless Earth that such peace on her bosom can be. My heart and my steps both grow light as I bound O'er the green grass that covers thy beautiful ground; And joy o'er my thoughts, like the sun o'er the leaves, A blessing in giving and taking receives. I have heap'd up thy flowers, the wild and the sweet, As if fresh from the touch of the night-elfin's feet; A bough from thy oak, and a sprig from thy broom, -- I take them as keepsakes to tell of thy bloom. Their green leaves may droop, and their colours may flee, As if dying with sorrow at parting from thee; And my memory fade with them, till thou wilt but seem Like the flitting shape morning recalls of a dream. Let them fade from their freshness, so leave they behind One trace, like faint music, impress'd on the mind; One leaf or one flower to memory will bring The light of thy beauty, the hope of thy spring. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE HEMLOCK by EMILY DICKINSON THE SCRUTINY; SONG by RICHARD LOVELACE THEN AND NOW by JEAN JACQUES ANTOINE AMPERE ETERNITY by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD WARNING by CHARLES WILLIAM BRODRIBB |