Page:Anne Bradstreet and her time.djvu/296

280 Thy swift Annual and diurnal Course, Thy daily streight and yearly oblique path, Thy pleasing fervor and thy scorching force, All mortals here the feeling knowledg hath. Thy presence makes it day thy absence night, Quaternal Seasons caused by thy might; Hail Creature full of sweetness, beauty and delight.

Art thou so full of glory, that no Eye Hath strength, thy shining Rayes once to behold? And is thy splendid throne erect so high? As to approach it can no earthly mould. How full of glory then must thy Creator be? Who gave this bright light luster unto thee, Admir'd, ador'd for ever, be that Majesty.

Silent alone, where none or saw or heard, In pathless paths I lead my wandering feet, My humble eyes to lofty Skyes I rear'd,    To sing some song my mazed Muse thought meet. My great Creator I would magnifie, That nature had thus decked liberally; But Ah, and Ah, again my imbecility.

The reader who may be disposed to echo this last line must bear in mind always, that stilted as much of this may seem, it was in the day in which it appeared a more purely natural voice than had been heard at all, and as the poem proceeds it gains both in force and beauty. As usual she reverts to the past for illustrations and falls into a meditation aroused by the sights and sounds about her. The path has led to the meadows not far from the river, where—

I heard the merry grasshopper then sing, The black-clad Cricket, bear a second part, They kept one tune and plaid on the same string, Seeming to glory in their little Art.