Hymns and Poems Original and Translated: By Edward Caswall ... Second Edition |
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. | IV. EVENING. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
| XIV. |
| XV. |
| XVI. |
| XVII. |
| XVIII. |
| XIX. |
| XX. |
| XXI. |
| XXII. |
| XXIII. |
| XXIV. |
| XXV. |
| XXVI. |
| XXVII. |
| XXVIII. |
| XXIX. |
| XXX. |
| XXXI. |
| XXXII. |
| XXXIII. |
| XXXIV. |
| XXXV. |
| XXXVI. |
| XXXVII. |
| XXXVIII. |
| XXXIX. |
| XL. |
| XLI. |
| XLII. |
| XLIII. |
| XLIV. |
| XLV. |
| XLVI. |
| XLVII. |
| XLVIIII. |
| XLIX. |
| L. |
| LI. |
| LII. |
| LIII. |
| LIV. |
| LV. |
| LVI. |
| LVII. |
| LVIII. |
| LIX. |
| LX. |
 | Hymns and Poems |  |
IV. EVENING.
Now eve descends in meek array,
More welcome than the gaudy day;
The clouds forsake the upper sky
To settle on some mountain high;
Or round the Sunset's crimson close
In variegated piles repose.
More welcome than the gaudy day;
The clouds forsake the upper sky
To settle on some mountain high;
Or round the Sunset's crimson close
In variegated piles repose.
Faint, more faint, and fainter still,
Stealing on o'er vale and hill,
The chimes from distant turret gray
Into silence fade away.
The hamlet swarms with rustic poor,
At gossip by the cottage-door;
Guided by little urchin strong,
Homeward creeps the team along;
The children, heedless to be seen,
Bathe in the pond upon the green;
Whence along their beaten track
March the geese in order back.
From the cot beside the oak
Mounts a slender thread of smoke,
Telling with what thrifty care
Its two old dames their meal prepare;
While from open lattice nigh
Notes of village harmony
Floating in a cadence clear
Catch the idly listening ear.
Stealing on o'er vale and hill,
The chimes from distant turret gray
Into silence fade away.
The hamlet swarms with rustic poor,
At gossip by the cottage-door;
Guided by little urchin strong,
Homeward creeps the team along;
The children, heedless to be seen,
Bathe in the pond upon the green;
Whence along their beaten track
March the geese in order back.
From the cot beside the oak
Mounts a slender thread of smoke,
Telling with what thrifty care
Its two old dames their meal prepare;
424
Notes of village harmony
Floating in a cadence clear
Catch the idly listening ear.
Now then the pensive task be mine,
As into dusk the tints decline,
In meditative mood to stray
Along some brier-scented way:
Where, perch'd beside her leafy nest,
The linnet trills her young to rest.
There let me muse, all else forgot,
On the strange tide of human lot;
How brief the measure of our day;
On death's approach, on life's decay;
On former times, on future things;
On all our vain imaginings;—
Till over fading lawn and mead
Their beaded net the dews have spread;
And the pale glow-worm shows her light,
To guide me home at fall of night.
As into dusk the tints decline,
In meditative mood to stray
Along some brier-scented way:
Where, perch'd beside her leafy nest,
The linnet trills her young to rest.
There let me muse, all else forgot,
On the strange tide of human lot;
How brief the measure of our day;
On death's approach, on life's decay;
On former times, on future things;
On all our vain imaginings;—
Till over fading lawn and mead
Their beaded net the dews have spread;
And the pale glow-worm shows her light,
To guide me home at fall of night.
| Hymns and Poems | |