Page:The Poetical Works of William Motherwell, 1849.djvu/443



, far out at sea, thou may'st have found Some lean, bald cliff—a lonely patch of ground, Alien amidst the waters:—some poor Isle Where summer blooms were never known to smile, Or trees to yield their verdure—yet, around That barren spot, the dimpling surges throng, Cheering it with their low and plaintive song, And clasping the deserted cast-away In a most strict embrace—and all along Its margin, rendering freely its array Of treasured shell and coral. Thus we may Note love in faithful woman; oft among The rudest shocks of life's wide sea she shares Man's lot, and more than half his burden bears Around whose path are flowers, strewn by her tender cares.