 | Moral songs |  |
THE SHEPHERD BOY.
Upon the mountain's sunny side,
Far up the grassy steep,
All day the little shepherd boy
Keeps watch beside his sheep.
Far up the grassy steep,
All day the little shepherd boy
Keeps watch beside his sheep.
He comes there, ere the red of dawn
Has faded from the heaven,
He stays there, till the first bright dews
Begin to fall at even.
Has faded from the heaven,
He stays there, till the first bright dews
Begin to fall at even.
The hours so full of change to us,
To him unvarying pass,
I ever see him lying there,
Outstretched upon the grass.
To him unvarying pass,
I ever see him lying there,
Outstretched upon the grass.
The yellow blossoms on the furze,
Do close beside him blow,
He stretches out a listless hand,
And plucks them as they grow.
Do close beside him blow,
He stretches out a listless hand,
And plucks them as they grow.
41
And sometimes the long feather grass,
With idle hand he weaves,
Or pulls the purple clover flower,
And sucks its honeyed leaves.
With idle hand he weaves,
Or pulls the purple clover flower,
And sucks its honeyed leaves.
But still he lieth there, his face
Upturned to the blue sky,
And sees the broad sun wax and wane,
And marks the shadows fly.
Upturned to the blue sky,
And sees the broad sun wax and wane,
And marks the shadows fly.
The sun-bleached locks upon his brow,
Wave softly in the wind;
I often wonder as I pass,
What thoughts are in his mind.
Wave softly in the wind;
I often wonder as I pass,
What thoughts are in his mind.
And still I think that simple child,
Thus, far from strife, and ill,
Alone with sun, and cloud, and field,
Upon the wide green hill,
Thus, far from strife, and ill,
Alone with sun, and cloud, and field,
Upon the wide green hill,
Has surely with God's wondrous things,
In closer commune grown,
And holy thoughts have come to him,
Out in the pasture lone.
In closer commune grown,
And holy thoughts have come to him,
Out in the pasture lone.
He needs must think Whose hand outspread
That sky so bright and wide,
And carved the little blade of grass,
He looks on, at his side.
That sky so bright and wide,
And carved the little blade of grass,
He looks on, at his side.
And when a shadow on the turf,
Has paused awhile, and fled,
He deems perchance, some guardian wing,
Was folded o'er his head.
Has paused awhile, and fled,
He deems perchance, some guardian wing,
Was folded o'er his head.
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And when the gloom of twilight falls,
Just as he hastens home,
He thinks how angels in the night
Did once to shepherds come.
Just as he hastens home,
He thinks how angels in the night
Did once to shepherds come.
Still to his eye, the sunset clouds,
With amber tipped, and gold,
Are gates before a brighter world,
O might they once unfold!
With amber tipped, and gold,
Are gates before a brighter world,
O might they once unfold!
I know not, if in truth, his heart
Thus glows with dreams of joy;
But such, I deem, might well befit
A lonely shepherd boy.
Thus glows with dreams of joy;
But such, I deem, might well befit
A lonely shepherd boy.
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