Dwellers by lake and hill! Merry companions of the bird and bee! Go, gladly forth, and drink of joy your fill, With unconstrained step, and spirits free! No crowd impedes your way, No city wall impedes your further bounds: Where the wild flock can wander, ye may stray The long day through, 'mid summer sights and sounds. The sunshine and the flowers, And the old trees that cast a solemn shade; The pleasant evening, the fresh dewy hours, And the green hills whereon your fathers played; -- The grey and ancient peaks Round which the silent clouds hang day and night; And the low voice of water as it makes, Like a glad creature, murmurings of delight; -- These are your joys! Go forth -- Give your hearts up unto their mighty power; For in his spirit God has clothed the earth, And speaketh solemnly from tree and flower. The voice of hidden rills Its quiet way into your spirit finds; And awfully the everlasting hills Address you in their many toned winds. Ye sit upon the earth Twining its flowers, and shouting full of glee; And a pure mighty influence, 'mid your mirth, Moulds your unconscious spirits silently. Hence is it that the lands Of storm and mountain have the noblest sons; Whom the world reverences. The patriot bands Were of the hills like you, ye little ones! Children of pleasant song Are taught within the mountain solitudes; For hoary legends to your wilds belong, And yours are haunts where inspiration broods. Then go forth -- earth and sky To you are tributary; joys are spread, Profusely, like the summer flowers that lie In the green path, beneath your gamesome tread! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE CRUISE OF THE MONITOR [MARCH 9, 1862] by GEORGE M. BAKER THE CONQUEROR'S GRAVE by WILLIAM CULLEN BRYANT OUR LADY by MARY ELIZABETH COLERIDGE MONTEREY [SEPTEMBER 23, 1846] by CHARLES FENNO HOFFMAN ETUDE REALISTE by ALGERNON CHARLES SWINBURNE DAFFODILS by WILLIAM WORDSWORTH |