VIII Alas! that such perverted zeal Came ministers of peace, intent to rear The Mother Church in yon sequestered vale; Should spread on Britain's favoured ground! Then, to her Patron Saint a previous rite That public order, private weal, Should e'er have felt or feared a wound Who tempt their reason to deny IX 80 ON THE SAME OCCASION Oh! gather whencesoe'er ye safely may The help which slackening Piety requires; Nor deem that he perforce must go astray Who treads upon the footmarks of his sires. Our churches, invariably perhaps, stand east and west, but why is by few persons exactly known; nor, that the degree of deviation from due east often noticeable in the ancient ones was determined, in each particular case, by the point in the horizon, at which the sun rose upon the day of the saint to whom the church was dedicated. These observances of our ancestors, and the causes of them, are the subject of the following stanzas. WHEN in the antique age of bow and spear And feudal rapine clothed with iron mail, Resounded with deep swell and solemn close, Through unremitting vigils of the night, Till from his couch the wished-for Sun up rose. He rose, and straight—as by divine command, They, who had waited for that sign to trace Their work's foundation, gave with careful hand To the high altar its determined place; Mindful of Him who in the Orient born There lived, and on the cross his life resigned, And who, from out the regions of the morn, Issuing in pomp, shall come to judge mankind. So taught their creed; - nor failed the east ern sky, 'Mid these more awful feelings, to infuse The sweet and natural hopes that shall not die, Long as the sun his gladsome course renews. For us hath such prelusive vigil ceased; Yet still we plant, like men of elder days, Our christian altar faithful to the east, Whence the tall window drinks the morn ing rays; That obvious emblem giving to the eye "A VOLANT TRIBE OF BARDS ON EARTH ARE FOUND" 1823. 1827 A VOLANT Tribe of Bards on earth are found, Who, while the flattering Zephyrs round them play, On "coignes of vantage" hang their nests of clay; How quickly from that aëry hold unbound, Dust for oblivion! To the solid ground She left that farewell offering, TO THE LADY E. B. AND THE HON. MISS P. 1824. 1827 Composed in the Grounds of Plass Newidd, near Llangollen, 1824. In this Vale of Meditation my friend Jones resided, having been allowed by his diocesan to fix himself there without resigning his Living in Oxfordshire. He was with my wife and daughter and me when we visited these celebrated ladies who had retired, as one may say, into notice in this vale. Their cottage lay directly in the road between London and Dublin, and they were of course visited by their Irish friends as well as innumerable strangers. They took much delight in passing jokes on our friend Jones's plumpness, ruddy cheeks, and smiling countenance, as little suited to a hermit living in the Vale of Meditation. We all thought there was ample room for retort on his part, so curious was the appearance of these ladies, so elaborately sentimental about themselves and their Caro Albergo, as they named it in an inscription on a tree that stood opposite, the endearing epithet being preceded by the word Ecco! calling upon the saunterer to look about him. So oddly was one of these ladies attired that we took her, at a little distance, for a Roman Catholic priest, with a crucifix and relics hung at his neck. They were without caps, their hair bushy and white as snow, which contributed to the mistake. A STREAM, to mingle with your favourite Along the VALE OF MEDITATION flows; kuriant wreaths around thy forehead hoar; 1, though past pomp no changes can restore, Soothing recompence, his gift, is thine! ELEGIAC STANZAS DRESSED TO SIR G. H. B. UPON THE DEATH OF HIS SISTER-IN-LAW 1824. 1827 On Mrs. Fermor. This lady had been a low long before I knew her. Her husband s of the family of the lady celebrated in the Rape of the Lock," and was, I believe, a man Catholic. The sorrow which his death used her was fearful in its character as deribed in this poem, but was subdued in urse of time by the strength of her religious ith. I have been, for many weeks at a time, inmate with her at Coleorton Hall, as were so Mrs. Wordsworth and my Sister. The uth in the sketch of her character here given as acknowledged with gratitude by her nearit relatives. She was eloquent in conversaon, energetic upon public matters, open in espect to those, but slow to communicate her ersonal feelings; upon these she never touched her intercourse with me, so that I could not egard myself as her confidential friend, and as accordingly surprised when I learnt she ad left me a legacy of £100, as a token of er esteem. See, in further illustration, the econd stanza inscribed upon her Cenotaph in Coleorton church. -- 20 30 Pale was her hue; yet mortal cheek But hushed be every thought that springs No thorns can pierce her tender feet, As snowdrop on an infant's grave, As Vesper, ere the star hath kissed Thou takest not away, O Death! Thou strikest absence perisheth, Indifference is no more; The future brightens on our sight; For on the past hath fallen a light That tempts us to adore. CENOTAPH 1824. 1842 40 50 See "Elegiac Stanzas. Addressed to Sir G. H. B. upon the death of his Sister-in-Law." In affectionate remembrance of Frances Fermor, whose remains are deposited in the church of Claines, near Worcester, this stone is erected by her sister, Dame Margaret, wife of Sir George Beaumont, Bart., who, feeling not less than the love of a brother for the deceased, commends this memorial to the care of his heirs and successors in the possession of this place. Written at Rydal Mount. Mrs. Word worth's impression is that the Poem was w ten at Coleorton: it was certainly suggested by a Print at Coleorton Hall. How rich that forehead's calm expanse! And intercourse with mortal hours So looked; not ceasing to pursue But hand and voice alike are still; Luxuriant wreaths around thy forehead hoar; And, though past pomp no changes can restore, A soothing recompence, his gift, is thine! ELEGIAC STANZAS ADDRESSED TO SIR G. H. B. UPON THE DEATH OF HIS SISTER-IN-LAW 1824. 1827 On Mrs. Fermor. This lady had been a widow long before I knew her. Her husband was of the family of the lady celebrated in the "Rape of the Lock," and was, I believe, a Roman Catholic. The sorrow which his death caused her was fearful in its character as described in this poem, but was subdued in course of time by the strength of her religious faith. I have been, for many weeks at a time, an inmate with her at Coleorton Hall, as were also Mrs. Wordsworth and my Sister. The truth in the sketch of her character here given was acknowledged with gratitude by her nearest relatives. She was eloquent in conversation, energetic upon public matters, open in respect to those, but slow to communicate her personal feelings; upon these she never touched in her intercourse with me, so that I could not regard myself as her confidential friend, and was accordingly surprised when I learnt she had left me a legacy of £100, as a token of her esteem. See, in further illustration, the second stanza inscribed upon her Cenotaph in Coleorton church. But nature to its inmost part Calm as the dew-drop's, free to rest Was ever Spirit that could bend So promptly from her lofty throne? - 20 30 Pale was her hue; yet mortal cheek But hushed be every thought that springs No thorns can pierce her tender feet, As snowdrop on an infant's grave, As Vesper, ere the star hath kissed 40 50 See "Elegiac Stanzas. Addressed to Sir G. H. B. upon the death of his Sister-in-Law." In affectionate remembrance of Frances Fermor, whose remains are deposited in the church of Claines, near Worcester, this stone is erected by her sister, Dame Margaret, wife of Sir George Beaumont, Bart., who, feeling not less than the love of a brother for the deceased, commends this memorial to the care of his heirs and suc cessors in the possession of this place. |