He hears the skylark overhead—
Hears the far footfalls of the dead.
When the swift Muses seize their child,
Then God has gladness rich and wild;
For when the bard is caught and hurled,
A splendor breaks across the world.
His song distils a saving power
From foot-worn stone, from wayside flower.
He knows the gospel of the trees,
The whispered message of the seas;