 | The Vision of Prophecy and Other Poems |  |
187
A VINTAGE SKETCH.
The joy of vintage fills the festive land,—The treaders in the wine-press, treading long,
Lighten their labours with alternate song;
And not less happy is that high-perched band,
Who glean with quick and never-ceasing hand
The clusters, hanging amber-clear among
The withering leaves. An inspiration strong,
Of genial mirth, makes every heart expand.
Pleasant it is to mark in days like these
How lightly childhood wears its golden chain,—
To watch these boys, in playful rivalries,
Challenge each other in the leafy lane,
To try who highest o'er the poplar trees
Can hurl the unripe orange from the cane.
| The Vision of Prophecy and Other Poems | |