TO A YOUNG LADY
WHO HAD BEEN REPROACHED FOR TAKING LONG WALKS IN THE COUNTRY
TO A YOUNG LADY
DEAR Child of Nature, let them rail! –There is a nest in a green dale, A harbour and a hold; Where thou, a Wife and Friend, shalt see Thy own heart-stirring days, and be A light to young and old. There, healthy as a shepherd boy, And treading among flowers of joy Which at no season fade, Thou, while thy babes around thee cling, 10 Shalt show us how divine a thing A Woman may be made. Thy thoughts and feelings shall not die, Nor leave thee, when grey hairs are nigh, A melancholy slave; But an old age serene and bright, And lovely as a Lapland night, Shall lead thee to thy grave. 1805.