Page:Pocahontas and Other Poems (NY).pdf/237



a boy who towards his cottage home A heavy burden bore. The way was steep And rocky, and his little loaded arm Strain'd downward to its full extent, while wide The other horizontally was thrown, As if to counterpoise the painful weight That drew him towards the earth. A while he paused And set his burden down, just where the path Grew more precipitous, and wiped his brow With his worn sleeve, and, panting, breathed long draughts Of the sweet air, while the hot summer sun Flamed o'er his forehead. But another boy, 'Neath a cool poplar in a neighbouring field, Sat playing with his dog, and from the grass Uprising, with light bound the coppice clear'd, And lent a vigorous hand to share the toil. So on they went together, grasping firm The basket's handle with a right good will; And while their young, clear voices met my ear, I recollected how the Bible said, "Bear one another's burdens," and perceived That to obey God's word was happiness.