FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79  
80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   >>  
of nothing but a sudden yearning Stronger by far than any force of learning! Therefore he changed his tone, flung down his wallet, Described his lot, how pitiable and poor; The hut of mud,--the miserable pallet,-- The alms solicited from door to door; The scanty fare of bitter bread and sallet,-- Could she this shame,--this poverty endure? I scarcely think he knew what he was doing, But that last line had quite a touch of wooing. And so she answered him,--those early Greeks Took little care to keep concealment preying At any length upon their damask cheeks,-- She answered him by very simply saying, She could and would:--and said it as one speaks Who takes no course without much careful weighing.... Was this, perchance, the answer that he hoped? It might, or might not be. But they eloped. Sought the free pine-wood and the larger air,-- The leafy sanctuaries, remote and inner, Where the great heart of nature, beating bare, Receives benignantly both saint and sinner;-- Leaving propriety to gasp and stare, And shake its head, like Burleigh, after dinner, From pure incompetence to mar or mend them: They fled and wed;--though, mind, I don't defend them. I don't defend them. 'Twas a serious act, No doubt too much determined by the senses; (Alas! when these affinities attract, We lose the future in the present tenses!) Besides, the least establishment's a fact Involving nice adjustment of expenses; Moreover, too, reflection should reveal That not remote contingent--_la famille_. Yet these, maybe, were happy in their lot. Milton has said (and surely Milton knows) That after all, philosophy is "not,-- _Not_ harsh and crabbed, as dull fools suppose;" And some, no doubt, for Love's sake have forgot Much that is needful in this world of prose:-- Perchance 'twas so with these. But who shall say? Time has long since swept them and theirs away. [1] "Unwisely," surely. But 'tis well to mention That this particular is _not_ invention. THE WATER-CURE. A TALE: IN THE MANNER OF PRIOR. "--_portentaque Thessala rides?_" --Hor. "--_Thessalian portents do you flout?_" * * CARDENIO'S fortunes ne'er miscarried Until the d
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   55   56   57   58   59   60   61   62   63   64   65   66   67   68   69   70   71   72   73   74   75   76   77   78   79  
80   81   82   83   84   85   86   87   88   89   90   >>  



Top keywords:

remote

 

surely

 

answered

 
Milton
 
defend
 

Moreover

 
reflection
 

contingent

 

famille

 

reveal


present
 

determined

 

senses

 

affinities

 

attract

 
establishment
 

Involving

 

adjustment

 

Besides

 
future

tenses

 
expenses
 

MANNER

 

portentaque

 

mention

 

invention

 

Thessala

 
fortunes
 

miscarried

 

CARDENIO


Thessalian

 

portents

 

Unwisely

 

forgot

 

suppose

 

philosophy

 

crabbed

 

needful

 

Perchance

 

scarcely


endure

 

sallet

 

poverty

 

concealment

 

preying

 

Greeks

 
wooing
 

bitter

 

learning

 

Therefore