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 | The forest minstrel |  |
Slow pacing to and fro, with measured tread,
And eye that seemed to study on the deck
Some Euclid problem, a rich merchant walked.
His brain was busy, not with thoughts of love,
Or nature's fond affections; yet he had
A sweet and peaceful home, a gentle wife,
And children, who were daily asking, “When
Will our dear father come?” And when the storm
Was howling round their dwelling, they would say:
“Dear mother, does it storm so on the sea?”
And then her woman heart would palpitate
With all the phantoms of the billowy deep.
But his heart was not with them. He has made
A prosperous voyage, and his tutored mind
Luxuriates in his gains, and he is now
Contriving speculations, that shall swell
Another hundred-fold, his mammoth wealth.
And eye that seemed to study on the deck
Some Euclid problem, a rich merchant walked.
131
Or nature's fond affections; yet he had
A sweet and peaceful home, a gentle wife,
And children, who were daily asking, “When
Will our dear father come?” And when the storm
Was howling round their dwelling, they would say:
“Dear mother, does it storm so on the sea?”
And then her woman heart would palpitate
With all the phantoms of the billowy deep.
But his heart was not with them. He has made
A prosperous voyage, and his tutored mind
Luxuriates in his gains, and he is now
Contriving speculations, that shall swell
Another hundred-fold, his mammoth wealth.
| The forest minstrel | |