Page:Peter Bell (Wordsworth).djvu/63

Part II. 'Tis not a plover of the moors,

'Tis not a bittern of the fen;

Nor can it be a barking fox—

Nor night-bird chamber'd in the rocks—

Nor wild-cat in a woody glen!

The Ass is startled—and stops short

Right in the middle of the thicket;

And Peter, wont to whistle loud

Whether alone or in a crowd,

Is silent as a silent cricket.

What ails you now, my little Bess?

Well may you tremble and look grave!

This cry—that rings along the wood,

This cry—that floats adown the flood,

Comes from the entrance of a cave: