Birket Foster's pictures of English landscape . 24 XXV. UNDER THE MOON-BEAMS. Magic of light! but now I strayedUnder a cope of darkling sky,Whereon the gaunt oaks tracerySeemed but a blacker shade on shade. Sullen among the soughing reedsThe pitchy marish-waters slept,And through the hair a horror crept,As of a place for nameless deeds. When sudden from a drift of cloudBurst the moons disc, with arrowy lightFlooding the edges of the night,Like silver fringes on a shroud. Across the face of the black poolRippled in smiles the gladsome beam,And searched the shade with level gleam,And ousted Horr
Birket Foster's pictures of English landscape . 24 XXV. UNDER THE MOON-BEAMS. Magic of light! but now I strayedUnder a cope of darkling sky,Whereon the gaunt oaks tracerySeemed but a blacker shade on shade. Sullen among the soughing reedsThe pitchy marish-waters slept,And through the hair a horror crept,As of a place for nameless deeds. When sudden from a drift of cloudBurst the moons disc, with arrowy lightFlooding the edges of the night,Like silver fringes on a shroud. Across the face of the black poolRippled in smiles the gladsome beam,And searched the shade with level gleam,And ousted Horrors midnight rule. I thought of darkling souls, whose nightIs lit with sudden burst of loveAnd hope, irradiant from above,How all their blackness turns to 25 r XXVI. AT SUN-SET. The sun sinks in yon western sea of gold,Among the isles of amethyst fringed with fire,Against whose glory, purple clear and coldStand gable roof, and elm and poplar spire. Their image, at this still hour, stilly sleepsWithin the pool, unstirred save where the flingOf rising dace, or swallows dipping wing,Drives a slow shiver oer its golden deeps. It is the hour when from Italian shrinesAve-Maria bells call knees to prayer;What need of bells ? This hushed and rosy air,That awful west, which like Gods portal shines, This sun, that only sinks to rise again,Might heavn-ward draw us in our pause of toil,Could but hard hearts cleanse them of sinful soilAs hard hands wash them clear of labours stain.
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Keywords: ., bookauthordalzielgeorge18151902, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1860
