The Poetry of Real Life A New Edition, Much Enlarged and Improved. By Henry Ellison |
TO THE THAMES, ABOVE RICHMOND BRIDGE. |
The Poetry of Real Life | ||
16
TO THE THAMES, ABOVE RICHMOND BRIDGE.
Oh, gentle stream, that takëst with an armOf love the meadows green by thy fair side,
Encircling their verdure with a wide
Embrace, and giving them their crowning charm;
Far hast thou come, not spreading rude alarm,
As doth a torrent, in its sudden pride
Of place, but like a gentle, faithful guide,
A messenger of peace, who none doth harm!
Thou dost embrace the beauty of this scene
As loth to part, and yet constrained away;
For, 'neath the glory and the outward sheen
Of Nature, she hath duties, day by day,
And from her loveliest works her heart doth wean,
To teach Man, like herself, how to obey!
The Poetry of Real Life | ||