Here for a rest, then off and away,—they have sped to other climes,
And leave me to my peace once more, a holiday from thoughts.
I dare not lure them back, for the mighty subject of Society
Would tempt to many a hackneyed note in many a weary key:
Sage warnings, stout advice, experiences ever to be learned,
The foolish floatiness of vanity, and solemn trumperies of pride,—
Economy, the poor man's mint,—extravagance, the rich man's pitfall,
Harmful copings with the better, and empty-headed apings of the worse,
Circumstance and custom, sympathies, antipathies, diverse kinds of conversation,
Vapid pleasures, the weariness of gaiety, the strife and bustle of the world,