Thy father's friend, and thine, who tendereth thee tried love:
Such also, many gentle hearts, whom thou hast known too lately,
Hastening now to learn their worth, and chary of those minutes:
And such, thy faithful pastor, coming to thy home with peace;—
Greet the good man heartily,—and bid thy children bless him!
Many thoughts, many thoughts,—who can catch them all?
The best are ever swiftest winged, the duller lag behind:
For, behold, in these vast themes, my mind is as a forest of the West,
And flocking pigeons come in clouds, and bend the groaning branches;