... —hush! that half-stifled knell,
Methinks 'tis the sound ... 1815.
"BROOK! WHOSE SOCIETY THE POET SEEKS"
Composed 1806?—Published 1815
One of the "Miscellaneous Sonnets."—Ed.
Brook! whose society the Poet seeks,
Intent his wasted spirits to renew;
And whom the curious Painter doth pursue
Through rocky passes, among flowery creeks,
And tracks thee dancing down thy water-breaks; 5
If wish were mine some type of thee to view,[1]
Thee, and not thee thyself, I would not do
Like Grecian Artists, give thee human cheeks,
Channels for tears; no Naiad should'st thou be,—
Have neither limbs, feet, feathers, joints nor hairs: 10
It seems the Eternal Soul is clothed in thee
With purer robes than those of flesh and blood,
And hath bestowed on thee a safer good;[2]
Unwearied joy, and life without its cares.
VARIANTS:
[1] 1827.
If I some type of thee did wish to view, 1815.