Alfred An Heroic Poem, in Twenty-Four Books. By Joseph Cottle: 4th ed. |
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 | Alfred |  |
Alfred thus pursued,
‘Thy health is good.’—‘Truly a healthier man’
The woodman thus replied, ‘lives not to share
‘Heaven's bounty. When a boy my father cried,
‘Hear what my father told me,—‘Rise betimes,
‘Let thy first thoughts ascend to heavenly things,
‘Be frugal, fear not work, and never drink
‘Aught but this brook.’ ‘Twas there when he was young,
‘And still beside my cottage, on it runs,
‘I know not whence, nor where, nor of it heed,
‘So that it serve my purpose. There it is,
‘And purer water never quench'd the thirst
‘Of some poor trav'ller, toil-worn, when the eve
‘Closed on a sultry day. These words I heard—
‘When young, a careless urchin, who, in truth,
‘All things alike forgot, save food and sport,
‘Yet how I cannot tell, these passing words
`Hung on my fancy.’—
‘Thy health is good.’—‘Truly a healthier man’
The woodman thus replied, ‘lives not to share
‘Heaven's bounty. When a boy my father cried,
‘Hear what my father told me,—‘Rise betimes,
‘Let thy first thoughts ascend to heavenly things,
‘Be frugal, fear not work, and never drink
‘Aught but this brook.’ ‘Twas there when he was young,
‘And still beside my cottage, on it runs,
‘I know not whence, nor where, nor of it heed,
‘So that it serve my purpose. There it is,
‘And purer water never quench'd the thirst
‘Of some poor trav'ller, toil-worn, when the eve
‘Closed on a sultry day. These words I heard—
‘When young, a careless urchin, who, in truth,
‘All things alike forgot, save food and sport,
‘Yet how I cannot tell, these passing words
`Hung on my fancy.’—
| Alfred | |