The babe in his cradle and swaddling-clothes lies;
How blest to trust to God's protection!"

Behold a wooden new erection,
So that, if sparks and wind but choose,

God's self at such a game must lose!
1821.*

-----
SYMBOLS.

PALM Sunday at the Vatican
They celebrate with palms;

With reverence bows each holy man,
And chaunts the ancient psalms.

Those very psalms are also sung
With olive boughs in hand,

While holly, mountain wilds among,
In place of palms must stand:

In fine, one seeks some twig that's green,
And takes a willow rod,

So that the pious man may e'en
In small things praise his God.

And if ye have observed it well,
To gain what's fit ye're able,

If ye in faith can but excel;
Such are the myths of fable.

1827.*
-----

THREE PALINODIAS.
I.

"Incense is hut a tribute for the gods,--
To mortals 'tis but poison."

THE smoke that from thine altar blows,
Can it the gods offend?

For I observe thou hold'st thy nose--
Pray what does this portend?

Mankind deem incense to excel
Each other earthly thing,

So he that cannot bear its smell,
No incense e'er should bring.

With unmoved face by thee at least
To dolls is homage given;

If not obstructed by the priest,
The scent mounts up to heaven.

1827.*
II

CONFLICT OF WIT AND BEAUTY.
SIR Wit, who is so much esteem'd,

And who is worthy of all honour,
Saw Beauty his superior deem'd

By folks who loved to gaze upon her;
At this he was most sorely vex'd.

Then came Sir Breath (long known as fit
To represent the cause of wit),

Beginning, rudely, I admit,
To treat the lady with a text.

To this she hearken'd not at all,
But hasten'd to his principal:

"None are so wise, they say, as you,--
Is not the world enough for two?

If you are obstinate, good-bye!
If wise, to love me you will try,

For be assured the world can ne'er
Give birth to a more handsome pair."

1827.*
=====

FAIR daughters were by Beauty rear'd,
Wit had but dull sons for his lot;

So for a season it appear'd
Beauty was constant, Wit was not.

But Wit's a native of the soil,
So he return'd, work'd, strove amain,

And found--sweet guerdon for his toil!--
Beauty to quicken him again.

1827.*
III.

RAIN AND RAINBOW.
DURING a heavy storm it chanced

That from his room a cockney glanced
At the fiercetempest as it broke,

While to his neighbour thus he spoke:
"The thunder has our awe inspired,

Our barns by lightning have been fired,--
Our sins to punish, I suppose;

But in return, to soothe our woes,
See how the rain in torrents fell,

Making the harvest promise well!
But is't a rainbow that I spy

Extending o'er the dark-grey sky?
With it I'm sure we may dispense,

The colour'd cheat! The vain pretence!"
Dame Iris straightway thus replied:

"Dost dare my beauty to deride?
In realms of space God station'd me

A type of better worlds to be
To eyes that from life's sorrows rove

In cheerful hope to Heav'n above,
And, through the mists that hover here

God and his precepts blest revere.
Do thou, then, grovel like the swine,

And to the ground thy snout confine,
But suffer the enlighten'd eye

To feast upon my majesty."
1827.*

VALEDICTION.
I ONCE was fond of fools,

And bid them come each day;
Then each one brought his tools

The carpenter to play;
The roof to strip first choosing,

Another to supply,
The wood as trestles using,

To move it by-and-by,
While here and there they ran,

And knock'd against each other;
To fret I soon began,

My anger could not smother,
So cried, "Get out, ye fools!"

At this they were offended
Then each one took his tools,

And so our friendship ended.
Since that, I've wiser been,

And sit beside my door;
When one of them is seen,

I cry, "Appear no more!"
"Hence, stupid knave!" I bellow:

At this he's angry too:
"You impudent old fellow!

And pray, sir, who are you?
Along the streets we riot,

And revel at the fair;
But yet we're pretty quiet,

And folks revile us ne'er.
Don't call us names, then, please!"--

At length I meet with ease,
For now they leave my door--

'Tis better than before!
1827.*

-----
THE COUNTRY SCHOOLMASTER.

I.
A MASTER of a country school

Jump'd up one day from off his stool,
Inspired with firm resolve to try

To gain the best society;
So to the nearest baths he walk'd,

And into the saloon he stalk'd.
He felt quite. startled at the door,

Ne'er having seen the like before.
To the first stranger made he now

A very low and graceful bow,
But quite forgot to bear in mind

That people also stood behind;
His left-hand neighbor's paunch he struck

A grievous blow, by great ill luck;
Pardon for this he first entreated,

And then in haste his bow repeated.
His right hand neighbor next he hit,

And begg'd him, too, to pardon it;
But on his granting his petition,

Another was in like condition;
These compliments he paid to all,

Behind, before, across the hall;
At length one who could stand no more,

Show'd him impatiently the door.
* * * *

May many, pond'ring on their crimes,
A moral draw from this betimes!

II.
As he proceeded on his way

He thought, "I was too weak to-day;
To bow I'll ne'er again be seen;

For goats will swallow what is green."
Across the fields he now must speed,

Not over stumps and stones, indeed,
But over meads and cornfields sweet,

Trampling down all with clumsy feet.
A farmer met him by-and-by,

And didn't ask him: how? or why?
But with his fist saluted him.

"I feel new life in every limb!"
Our traveller cried in ecstasy.

"Who art thou who thus gladden'st me?
May Heaven such blessings ever send!

Ne'er may I want a jovial friend!"
1808.*

-----
THE LEGEND OF THE HORSESHOE.

WHAT time our Lord still walk'd the earth,
Unknown, despised, of humble birth,

And on Him many a youth attended
(His words they seldom comprehended),

It ever seem'd to Him most meet
To hold His court in open street,

As under heaven's broad canopy
One speaks with greater liberty.

The teachings of His blessed word
From out His holy mouth were heard;

Each market to a fane turn'd He
With parable and simile.

One day, as tow'rd a town He roved,
In peace of mind with those He loved,

Upon the path a something gleam'd;

• cradle [´kreidl] n.摇篮；发源地 (初中英语单词)
• wooden [´wudn] a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词)
• celebrate [´selibreit] vt.庆祝；表扬；赞美 (初中英语单词)
• willow [´wiləu] n.柳树 (初中英语单词)
• tribute [´tribju:t] n.贡物；献礼；颂词 (初中英语单词)
• worthy [´wə:ði] a.有价值的；值得的 (初中英语单词)
• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• constant [´kɔnstənt] a.坚定的；坚贞的 (初中英语单词)
• fierce [fiəs] a.残忍的；强烈的 (初中英语单词)
• thunder [´θʌndə] n.雷 vi.打雷 vt.吼出 (初中英语单词)
• lightning [´laitniŋ] n.闪电 a.突然的 (初中英语单词)
• punish [´pʌniʃ] vt.(惩)罚；痛击；折磨 (初中英语单词)
• harvest [´hɑ:vist] n.&v.收获；收割 (初中英语单词)
• cheerful [´tʃiəful] a.快乐的；高兴的 (初中英语单词)
• carpenter [´kɑ:pintə] n.木工 vi.做木工活 (初中英语单词)
• stupid [´stju:pid] a.愚蠢的；糊涂的 (初中英语单词)
• resolve [ri´zɔlv] v.决心 n.决心；刚毅 (初中英语单词)
• graceful [´greisfəl] a.优美的，流畅的 (初中英语单词)
• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)
• swallow [swɔləu] n.燕子 v.吞，咽；淹没 (初中英语单词)
• humble [´hʌmbəl] a.谦卑的 vt.贬抑 (初中英语单词)
• reverence [´revərəns] n.尊敬；敬畏；尊严 (高中英语单词)
• incense [´insens, in´sens] n.香(气) vt.激怒 (高中英语单词)
• earthly [´ə:θli] a.地球的；世俗的 (高中英语单词)
• homage [´hɔmidʒ] n.敬意，尊敬 (高中英语单词)
• strove [strəuv] strive的过去式 (高中英语单词)
• quicken [´kwikən] v.加快；加速；鼓舞 (高中英语单词)
• tempest [´tempist] n.暴风雨 (高中英语单词)
• soothe [su:ð] vt.安慰；镇定；减轻 (高中英语单词)
• rainbow [´reinbəu] n.彩虹 (高中英语单词)
• straightway [´streitwei] ad.立刻 (高中英语单词)
• saloon [sə´lu:n] n.大厅；餐车 (高中英语单词)
• clumsy [´klʌmzi] a.笨拙的；粗俗的 (高中英语单词)
• obstinate [´ɔbstinit] a.顽固的；(病)难治的 (英语四级单词)
• grievous [´gri:vəs] a.痛苦的；严重的 (英语四级单词)
• impatiently [im´peiʃəntli] ad.不耐烦地，急躁地 (英语四级单词)
• blessed [´blesid] a.享福的；神圣的 (英语四级单词)
• unmoved [ʌn´mu:vd] a.无动于衷的；坚定的 (英语六级单词)
• sorely [´sɔ:li] ad.痛苦地；剧烈地 (英语六级单词)
• rudely [´ru:dli] ad.粗鲁地；粗略地 (英语六级单词)
• assured [ə´ʃuəd] a.确实的 n.被保险人 (英语六级单词)