O SOLITUDE! if I must with thee dwell, Let it not be among the jumbled heap Of murky buildings; climb with me the steep, -- Nature's observatory -- whence the dell, Its flowery slopes, its river's crystal swell, May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep 'Mongst boughs pavillion'd, where the deer's swift leap Startles the wild bee from the fox-glove bell. But though I'll gladly trace these scenes with thee, Yet the sweet converse of an innocent mind, Whose words are images of thoughts refin'd, Is my soul's pleasure; and it sure must be Almost the highest bliss of human-kind, When to thy haunts two kindred spirits flee. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CONSCIENCE AND REMORSE by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR THE YARN OF THE 'NANCY BELL' by WILLIAM SCHWENCK GILBERT THE NILE by JAMES HENRY LEIGH HUNT THE WARDEN OF THE CINQUE PORTS (THE DUKE OF WELLINGTON) by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW THE ALCHEMIST by ST. CLAIR ADAMS THE MORAL FABLES: THE SHEEP AND THE DOG by AESOP |