THE WANDERER: 1. IN ITALY: THE CLOUD by EDWARD ROBERT BULWER-LYTTON

WITH shape to shape, all day,
And change to change, by foreland, firth, and bay,
The cloud comes down from wandering with the wind,
Through gloom and gleam across the green waste seas;
And, leaving the white cliff and lone tower bare
To empty air,
Slips down the windless west, and grows defined
In splendor by degrees.

And, blown by every wind
Of wonder through all regions of the mind,
From hope to fear, from doubt to sweet despite
Changing all shapes, and mingling snow with fire,
The thought of her descends, sleeps o'er the bounds
Of passion, grows, and rounds
Its golden outlines in a gradual light
Of still desire.

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