 | The collected poems of William Ellery Channing the younger, 1817-1901 |  |
862
TO SHAKSPEARE.
As the strong wind that round the wide Earth blows,Seizing all scents that shimmer o'er the flowers,
The sparkling spray from every wave that flows
Through the proud glory of the summer hours,
Sweet questioning smiles, and gentle courteous glances,
The stately ship that stems the ocean tide,
The butterfly that with the wild air dances,
And radiant clouds on which the Genii ride,
Bearing all these on its triumphant way,
Sounding through forests, soaring o'er the sea,
Greeting all things which love the joyous day,
In life exulting, freest of the free;
Thus do thy Sonnets, Shakspeare, onward sweep,
Cleaving the winged clouds, stirring the mighty deep.
| The collected poems of William Ellery Channing the younger, 1817-1901 | |