The poetical works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow in six volumes |
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| 2. | [II.
In Attica thy birthplace should have been,] |
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 | The poetical works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow |  |
[II.
In Attica thy birthplace should have been,]
In Attica thy birthplace should have been,Or the Ionian Isles, or where the seas
Encircle in their arms the Cyclades,
So wholly Greek wast thou in thy serene
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Around thee would have swarmed the Attic bees;
Homer had been thy friend, or Socrates,
And Plato welcomed thee to his demesne.
For thee old legends breathed historic breath;
Thou sawest Poseidon in the purple sea,
And in the sunset Jason's fleece of gold!
Oh, what hadst thou to do with cruel Death,
Who wast so full of life, or Death with thee,
That thou shouldst die before thou hadst grown old!
| The poetical works of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow | |