And the streams which danced on the broken rocks, or sang to the leaning grass,
Shall bow again to their winter chain, and in mournful silence pass.
He comes—he comes—the Frost Spirit comes!—let us meet him as we may,
And turn with the light of the parlor-fire his evil power away;
And gather closer the circle round, when that fire-light dances high,
And laugh at the shriek of the baffled Fiend as his sounding wing goes by!
NOTES AND QUESTIONS
For Biography, [see page 60].
Discussion. 1. Why does the poet personify “The Frost Spirit”? 2. Why is “Fiend” personified? 3. How can one “trace his footsteps” on woods and fields? 4. Locate on a map Labrador, the pine region of Norway, and the volcano of Hecla. 5. What is “the icy bridge of the northern seas”? 6. What are “the luckless forms below”? 7. Why does the poet say “In the sunless cold of the lingering night”? 8. What does the poet mean by “the shriek of the baffled Fiend”?