'Tis Said, That
Some Have Died For Love'
-W.Wordsworth
'Tis said, that some have
died for love:
And here and there a
churchyard grave is found
In the cold north's
unhallowed ground,
Because the wretched man
himself had slain,
His love was such a
grievous pain.
And there is one whom I
five years have known;
He dwells alone
Upon Helvellyn's side:
He loved--the pretty
Barbara died;
And thus he makes his
moan:
Three years had Barbara
in her grave been laid
When thus his moan he
made:
"Oh, move, thou
Cottage, from behind that oak!
Or let the aged tree
uprooted lie,
That in some other way
yon smoke
May mount into the sky!
The clouds pass on; they from
the heavens depart.
I look--the sky is empty
space;
I know not what I trace;
But when I cease to look,
my hand is on my heart.
"Oh! what a weight
is in these shades! Ye leaves,
That murmur once so dear,
when will it cease?
Your sound my heart of
rest bereaves,
It robs my heart of
peace.
Thou Thrush, that singest
loud--and loud and free,
Into yon row of willows
flit,
Upon that alder sit;
Or sing another song, or
choose another tree.
"Roll back, sweet
Rill! back to thy mountain-bounds,
And there for ever be thy
waters chained!
For thou dost haunt the
air with sounds
That cannot be sustained;
If still beneath that
pine-tree's ragged bough
Headlong yon waterfall
must come,
Oh let it then be dumb!
Be anything, sweet Rill,
but that which thou art now.
"Thou Eglantine, so
bright with sunny showers,
Proud as a rainbow
spanning half the vale,
Thou one fair shrub, oh!
shed thy flowers,
And stir not in the gale.
For thus to see thee
nodding in the air,
To see thy arch thus
stretch and bend,
Thus rise and thus
descend,--
Disturbs me till the
sight is more than I can dear."
The Man who makes this
feverish complaint
Is one of giant stature,
who could dance
Equipped from head to
foot in iron mail.
Ah gentle Love! if ever
thought was thine
To store up kindred hours
for me, thy face
Turn from me, gentle
Love! nor let me walk
Within the sound of
Emma's voice, nor know
Such happiness as I have
known to-day.
