To walk in his anguish about the green places,
To see where his mistress lie dreaming of Acis.

I fancy him now, coming just where she sleeps; He parts the close hawthorns, and bushes, and creeps ;

The moon slips from under the dark clouds, and throws

A light, through the leaves, on her smiling repose. There, there she lies, bowered ;-a slope for her

bed;

One branch, like a hand, reaches over her head; Half naked, half shrinking, with side-swelling grace,

A crook's 'twixt her bosom, and crosses her face,The crook of her shepherd ;—and close to her lips Lies the Pan-pipe he blows, which in sleeping she

sips ;

The giant's knees totter, with passions diverse;
Ah, how can he bear it! ah, what could be worse!
He's ready to cry out, for anguish of heart;
And tears himself off, lest she wake with a start.
So much for the streets I gave out as my text,
But of these my dear L[amb] you must hear in my

next.

TO T. L. H.1

SIX YEARS OLD, DURING A SICKNESS. ["Examiner," Sept. 1st, 1816. "Foliage," 1818. "Living Poets of England" (Paris), 1827. "Works," 1832, 1844, 1857, 1860. "Rimini," &c., 1844. Kent, 1889. "Canterbury Poets," 1889.]

LEEP breathes at last from out thee,

My little, patient boy;

And balmy rest about thee
Smooths off the day's annoy.
I sit me down, and think
Of all thy winning ways;
Yet almost wish, with sudden shrink,
That I had less to praise.

Thy sidelong pillowed meekness,

Thy thanks to all that aid,
Thy heart, in pain and weakness,
Of fancied faults afraid;

The little trembling hand
That wipes thy quiet tears,
These, these are things that may demand
Dread memories for years.

Sorrows I've had, severe ones,
I will not think of now;
And calmly 'midst my dear ones
Have wasted with dry brow;
But when thy fingers press

And pat my stooping head,

A child who had also the honour of being addressed in

verse by Charles Lamb, in some lines which appeared in the "Examiner," 1815.-ED.

I cannot bear the gentleness,—
The tears are in their bed.

Ah, first-born of thy mother,
When life and hope were new,
Kind playmate of thy brother,
Thy sister, father too;
My light, where'er I go,
My bird, when prison-bound,
My hand in hand companion,-no,
My prayers shall hold thee round.

"his face "-is gone;

To feel impatient-hearted,
Yet feel we must-bear on;

Ah, I could not endure
To whisper of such woe,
Unless I felt this sleep ensure
That it will not be so.

Yes, still he's fixed, and sleeping!
This silence too the while-
Its very hush and creeping
Seem whispering us a smile :
Something divine and dim
Seems going by one's ear,
Like parting wings of Seraphim,
Who say, "We've finished here."

ARIADNE WAKING.

["Bacchus and Ariadne," 1819. "Works," 1832. "Rimini, and other poems," Boston, 1844.]

HE moist and quiet moon was scarcely breaking,

When Ariadne in her bower was
waking;

Her eyelids still were closing, and she heard
But indistinctly yet a little bird,

That in the leaves o'erhead, waiting the sun,
Seemed answering another distant one.
She waked but stirred not, only just to please
Her pillow-nestling cheek; while the full seas,
The birds, the leaves, the lulling love o'ernight,
The happy thought of the returning light,
The sweet, self-willed content, conspired to keep
Her senses lingering in the feel of sleep;
And with a little smile she seemed to say,
"I know my love is near me, and 'tis day."

SONG

FROM THE ITALIAN BEGINNING

Arancie, bella arancie ;

Pienotte come guencie ;

["Indicator," July 5th, 1820. "Romancist and Novelist's Library," edited by W. Hazlitt, 1839.]

H oranges, sweet oranges,

Plumpy cheeks that peep in trees,
The crabbed'st churl in all the south
Would hardly let a thirsty mouth

Gaze at ye, and long to taste,

Nor grant one golden kiss at last.

La, la, la,-la sol fa mi

My Lady looked through the orange tree.

Yet cheeks there are, yet cheeks there are,
Sweeter-oh good God; how far !—
That make a thirst like very death
Down to the heart through lips and breath,
And if we asked a taste of those,
The kindest owners would turn foes,
O la, la,-la sol fa mi—

My Lady's gone from the orange tree.