Page:Poems by William Wordsworth (1815) Volume 1.djvu/170

110 .

Ay, Sir, that passed away: we took him to us;

He was the Child of all the dale—he lived

Three months with one, and six months with another;

And wanted neither food, nor clothes, nor love:

And many, many happy days were his.

But, whether blithe or sad, 'tis my belief

His absent Brother still was at his heart.

And, when he lived beneath our roof, we found

(A practice till this time unknown to him)

That often, rising from his bed at night,

He in his sleep would walk about, and sleeping

He sought his Brother Leonard.—You are moved!

Forgive me, Sir: before I spoke to you,

I judged you most unkindly.

.

But this Youth,

How did he die at last?

.

One sweet May morning,

(It will be twelve years since when Spring returns)

He had gone forth among the new-dropped lambs,

With two or three Companions whom it chanced

Some further business summoned to a house