The Mistress of the Manse by J. G. (Josiah Gilbert) Holland
page 68 of 119 (57%)
page 68 of 119 (57%)
|
Looks up to him from lake and land.
Great men are few, and stand apart; And seem divinest when remote. From brain to brain, and heart to heart, No thoughts of genial commerce float; Each holds his own exclusive mart. And when we meet them, face to face, And hand to hand their greatness greet, Our steps we willingly retrace, And gather humbly at their feet, With those who live upon their grace. And man and woman--mount and vale-- Have charms, each from the other seen,-- The robe of rose, the coat of mail: The springing turf, the black ravine: The tossing pines, the waving swale: Which please the sight with constant joy. Thus living, each has power to call The other's thoughts with sweet decoy, And one can rise and one can fall But to distemper or destroy. The dewy meadow breeds the cloud That rises on ethereal wings, And wraps the mountain in a shroud From which the living lightning springs |
|