Had sunned my growth among the souls of men.

In an old wood, reputed for its age,

And for its beauty wild and picturesque;

The bound and goal of each day's pilgrimage,

Where were all forms of graceful and grotesque;

And countless hues, from the dark stately pine

That whispered its wild mysteries to my ear,

To the smooth silver of the birch-trees shine,

Showing between the aspens straight and fair;

With forest flowers, and delicate vines that crept