 | An idyl of work |  |
CHOCORUA.
The pioneer of a great company
That wait behind him, gazing toward the east,—
Mighty ones all, down to the nameless least,—
Though after him none dares to press, where he
With bent head listens to the minstrelsy
Of far waves chanting to the moon, their priest.
What phantom rises up from winds deceased?
What whiteness of the unapproachable sea?
Hoary Chocorua guards his mystery well:
He pushes back his fellows, lest they hear
The haunting secret he apart must tell
To his lone self, in the sky-silence clear.
A shadowy, cloud-cloaked wraith, with shoulders bowed,
He steals, conspicuous, from the mountain-crowd.
That wait behind him, gazing toward the east,—
Mighty ones all, down to the nameless least,—
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With bent head listens to the minstrelsy
Of far waves chanting to the moon, their priest.
What phantom rises up from winds deceased?
What whiteness of the unapproachable sea?
Hoary Chocorua guards his mystery well:
He pushes back his fellows, lest they hear
The haunting secret he apart must tell
To his lone self, in the sky-silence clear.
A shadowy, cloud-cloaked wraith, with shoulders bowed,
He steals, conspicuous, from the mountain-crowd.
“Yet, Ralph, the noblest landscape was but meant
To be a background for humanity.
And these two girls,—you need not be afraid
(I know the shyness of your bachelor-heart)
Of two young mill-girls,—ladies, both of them,
As I translate the word,—will go away,
Only too soon, will leave me quite alone;
And loneliness after good company
Is not the bearable sort.
“Do not forget
To speak of Rodney when you write. Poor boy!
Brother so unlike you! If he could feel
The baptism of one work-day's honest sweat,
Happy for him! To wear his idleness
As gracefully as the last cut of coat
Seems his life's end and purpose.
“Nephew Ralph,
Be idle just one week yourself! for here
I and the mountains wait and hope for you!”
To be a background for humanity.
And these two girls,—you need not be afraid
(I know the shyness of your bachelor-heart)
Of two young mill-girls,—ladies, both of them,
As I translate the word,—will go away,
Only too soon, will leave me quite alone;
And loneliness after good company
Is not the bearable sort.
“Do not forget
To speak of Rodney when you write. Poor boy!
Brother so unlike you! If he could feel
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Happy for him! To wear his idleness
As gracefully as the last cut of coat
Seems his life's end and purpose.
“Nephew Ralph,
Be idle just one week yourself! for here
I and the mountains wait and hope for you!”
| An idyl of work | |