University of Virginia Library

1.

Most beautiful of depths, unlimited
Wonder to the wandering soul;
Wide home of worlds, thou azure dread
In which our earth doth roll.
And thou great sun, whose light for ever given
To all, doth make it venerate the heaven,
Where thou dost live who generatest heat
And love, throughout all hearts that breathe and beat.
And thou, moon, wandering patiently
Through the silver wrack of the nightly sky,
Mother of holy hope and joy,
And music, which the gods employ;
And thou, the god of worlds afar,
Lamp-seeming fretted star;
And thou earth, freshened by the gorgeous change
Of breeze and blossom, sunshine and stark boughs,
Thunder's vast tremor and the lightning's range,
Smiles of pied flowers, and fragrant tears of dew;
Of rigid mountain's rain-bared brows,
Whose steps the primal generations knew.
All might of changeless nature, air,
And earth, and ocean multitudinous;
All that the brotherhood do share,
Or in exchange of harmonies rejoice—
With human language, thus
I call upon ye, every form and voice,
Every thought-giving influence,
From your mystic regions hence!
Man doth command: the song of good
Awakens for ever your solitude!

2.

And whose white feet so buoyantly
Hold o'er the bending flowers their way?
The Dryad whose continual smile
Leaves not the waking buds meanwhile;
The nymph who from the grotto'd stream
Rises like a rainbow's gleam.
The fawn uncouthly snores profound,
His face unto the sky;
His amphora of spicy wine,
And plaited basket by him lie,
Filled with forest nut and pine;
Awakes he as they pass, along
Speeds he to join their dance and song.

3.

“Unto the human power, whose voice
Makes sister Echo's heart rejoice
With laugh and song's quick changes free,
And sorrow's soft pale melody:
With melting lyre and startling horn,
And thoughtful words of spirit born.
Who shears the dry stems from the vine,
Round whose supports its tendrils twine,
And 'neath its shade who seeks repose
When the holy eve doth close.
Who drives the noxious worm away
From spring or stream, from leaf or spray.
For him we fill the bowl, his home
Shall be our temple-dome:
For him we heap the fruits, his board
Shall be our altar stored.”
The wisdom-hornēd Pan
Heard, as over his capacious brow
Meander'd sympathetic glow;
He smiled; the old god, universal Pan
Smiled on the demi-god young man,
As Nature multiform before
His feet her wealth came forth to pour.