A firmament reflected in a sea; screen With uplift hands our foreheads, lowly bending, Even while they brought the burden to a close, A shout from the whole multitude arose, Meantime, on shady levels, mossy fine, Aye, those fair living forms swam heavenly Thermopyla its heroes - not yet dead, weariness, they danced to trembling knee And frantic gape of lonely Niobe, And giving out a shout most heaven-rend- Lay a lost thing upon her paly lip, ing, Conjure thee to receive our humble Pæan, And very, very deadliness did nip 340 Her motherly cheeks. Aroused from this sad mood Who, suddenly, should stoop through the smooth wind, And with the balmiest leaves his temples bind; And, ever after, through those regions be In times long past; to sit with them, and talk Of all the chances in their earthly walk; Comparing, joyfully, their plenteous stores Of happiness, to when upon the moors, 390 Benighted, close they huddled from the cold, And shared their famish'd scrips. Thus all out-told Again I'll linger in a sloping mead To hear the speckled thrushes, and see feed Hereat Peona, in their silver source, Shut her pure sorrow-drops with glad exclaim, 490 Tell me thine ailment: tell me all amiss! 521 Or more complete to overwhelm surmise? That I have sigh'd for: with so deadly gasp And took a lute, from which there pulsing No man e'er panted for a mortal love. So all have set my heavier grief above I, who still saw the horizontal sun 530 Out-facing Lucifer, and then had hurl'd That but one night had wrought this flow- Commingling with her argent spheres did Through clear and cloudy, even when she went At last into a dark and vapoury tent - In passing here, his owlet pinions shook; Could figure out and to conception bring From such high soaring by a downward glance : So kept me steadfast in that airy trance, dazed 600 And plays about its fancy, till the stings More bluely vein'd, more soft, more whitely sweet |