A THOUGHT OF THE NILE. IT flows through old hushed Egypt and its sands, Like some grave mighty thought threading a dream, And times and things, as in that vision, seem Keeping along it their eternal stands, Caves, pillars, pyramids, the shepherd bands That roamed through the young earth, the glory extreme Of high Sesostris, and that southern beam, The laughing queen that caught the world's great hands. Then comes a mightier silence, stern and strong, And the void weighs on us; and then we wake, ARIADNE WAKING. A FRAGMENT. THE moist and quiet morn was scarcely breaking, That in the leaves o'erhead, waiting the sun, Had struck among us, swift and light, To treat us with his pearl guitar. Lovely thing! — and runs along, Just as if it knew the song, Touching out, smooth, clear and small, Now upon the treble lingering, 1 118 ON HEARING A LITTLE MUSICAL BOX. And at last, upon the close, O full of sweetness, crispness, ease, Such a taste composed and fine Sprinkles then from singing fountains; Fairies heard on tops of mountains; Nightingales endued with art, Caught in listening to Mozart: Stars that make a distant tinkling, While their happy eyes are twinkling; * For this and the other beautiful thought in the closing line of the paragraph, the author is indebted to two friends, who enjoyed the music with him, the former to the gentleman who treated him with it, and the latter to a lady. ON HEARING A LITTLE MUSICAL BOX. 119 Sounds for scattered rills to flow to; O thou sweet and sudden pleasure, Well may lovely hands and eyes Waiting with a placid sorrow What may come from Heaven to-morrow, And the music hoped at last, Come, then, for another strain: |