 | The Garden of Florence; and Other Poems |  |
122
SONNET TO ------
WITH THE TWO FOLLOWING.
Robin the outlaw! Is there not a mass
Of freedom in the name?—It tells the story
Of clenched oaks, with branches bow'd and hoary,
Leaning in aged beauty o'er the grass;—
Of dazed smile on cheek of border lass
Listening 'gainst some old gate at his strange glory:
And of the dappled stag, struck down and gory,
Lying with nostril wide in green morass.
Of freedom in the name?—It tells the story
Of clenched oaks, with branches bow'd and hoary,
Leaning in aged beauty o'er the grass;—
Of dazed smile on cheek of border lass
Listening 'gainst some old gate at his strange glory:
And of the dappled stag, struck down and gory,
Lying with nostril wide in green morass.
It tells a tale of forest days—of times
That would have been most precious unto thee:
Days of undying pastoral liberty:—
Sweeter than music old of abbey chimes—
Sweet as the virtue of Shakspearian rhymes—
Days, shadowy with the magic green-wood tree!
That would have been most precious unto thee:
123
Sweeter than music old of abbey chimes—
Sweet as the virtue of Shakspearian rhymes—
Days, shadowy with the magic green-wood tree!
| The Garden of Florence; and Other Poems | |