 | The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere |  |
VIII. OLD AND MODERN LEARNING.
The learning of old times was as a streamThrough many an untrod glen that held its way,
Smooth-flowing, clear, and silent as a dream
To the calm precincts of a cloister grey;
In which the sculptured fount would doubtless seem
A Station fit, where holy men each day
Might read the gracious Word, and muse, and pray,
‘Send us the living water, Lord Supreme!’
316
By humblest hut and proudest palace bowers,
Like a broad torrent, troubled, loud, and strong;
Each sloping bank, throughout the circling hours,
Is crowded by an eager, restless throng—
They crush to dust the few remaining flowers.
| The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere | |