Page:The Excursion, Wordsworth, 1814.djvu/103

77 At any grave or solemn spectacle,

Inly distressed, or overpowered with awe,

He knows not why;—but he, perchance, this day,

Is shedding Orphan's tears; and you yourself

Must have sustained a loss."—"The hand of Death,"

He answered, "has been here; but could not well

Have fallen more lightly, if it had not fallen

Upon myself"—The Other left these words

Unnoticed, thus continuing.—

"From yon Crag,

Down whose steep sides we dropped into the Vale,

We heard the hymn they sang—a solemn sound

Heard anywhere, but in a place like this

'Tis more than human! Many precious rites

And customs of our rural ancestry

Are gone, or stealing from us; this, I hope,

Will last for ever. Often have I stopped

When on my way, I could not chuse but stop,

So much I felt the awfulness of Life,

In that one moment when the Corse is lifted

In silence, with a hush of decency,

Then from the threshold moves with song of peace,

And confidential yearnings, to its home,