CXLI

TO A WATER FOWL

Whither, 'midst falling dew,

While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Far through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way?

Vainly the fowler's eye

Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,
As, darkly painted on the crimson sky,
Thy figure floats along.

Seek'st thou the plashy brink

Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide,
Or where the rocking billows rise and sink
On the chafed ocean side?

There is a Power whose care

Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,
The desert and illimitable air,—

Lone wandering but not lost.

All day thy wings have fann'd,
At that far height the cold thin atmosphere,
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land,
Though the dark night is near.

And soon that toil shall end;

Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend Soon o'er thy shelter'd nest.

Thou'rt gone, the abyss of heaven

Hath swallow'd up thy form: yet on my heart
Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given,
And shall not soon depart.

He, who from zone to zone

Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone,

Will lead my steps aright.

W. C. Bryant

CXLII

ROBIN HOOD AND THE BISHOP OF HEREFORD

Some will talk of bold Robin Hood,

And some of barons bold;

But I'll tell you how he served the bishop of Hereford, When he robbed him of his gold.

As it befel in merry Barnsdale,

All under the greenwood tree,

The bishop of Hereford was to come by,

With all his company.

'Come kill me a ven'son,' said bold Robin Hood, 'Come kill me a good fat deer;

The bishop of Hereford is to dine with me to-day, And he shall pay well for his cheer.

'We'll kill a fat ven'son,' said bold Robin Hood,
'And dress it by the highway side;

And we will watch the bishop narrowly,
Lest some other way he should ride.'

Robin Hood dressed himself in shepherd's attire,

With six of his men also;

And, when the bishop of Hereford came by,
They about the fire did go.

'O what is the matter?' then said the bishop,
'Or for whom do you make this ado?
Or why do you kill the king's ven'son,
When your company is so few?'

'We are shepherds,' said bold Robin Hood,
‘And we keep sheep all the year,

And we are disposed to be merry this day,
And to kill of the king's fat deer.'

'You are brave fellows,' said the bishop, 'And the king your doings shall know: Therefore make haste and come along with me, For before the king you shall go.'

'O pardon, O pardon,' said bold Robin Hood, O pardon, I thee pray!

For it becomes not your lordship's coat
To take so many lives away.

'No pardon, no pardon,' said the bishop,

'No pardon I thee owe;

Therefore make haste and come along with me,

For before the king you shall go.'

Then Robin set his back against a tree,

And his foot against a thorn,

And from underneath his shepherd's coat
He pull'd out a bugle horn.

He put the little end to his mouth,

And a loud blast did he blow,

Till three score and ten of bold Robin's men
Came running all on a row.

All making obeisance to bold Robin Hood, 'Twas a comely sight for to see.

'What is the matter, master?' said Little John, 'That you blow so hastily?'

'O here is the bishop of Hereford,

And no pardon we shall have :'

'Cut off his head, master,' said Little John,

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And throw him into his grave.'

'O pardon, O pardon,' said the bishop,

'O pardon, I thee pray!

For if I had known it had been you,

I'd have gone some other way.'

'No pardon, no pardon,' said bold Robin Hood,
'No pardon I thee owe;

Therefore make haste and come along with me,
For to merry Barnsdale you shall go.'

Then Robin he took the bishop by the hand,
And led him to merry Barnsdale ;

He made him to stay and sup with him that night,
And to drink wine, beer, and ale.

'Call in a reckoning,' said the bishop,
'For methinks it grows wondrous high :'
'Lend me your purse, master,' said Little John,
And I'll tell you bye and bye.'

Then Little John took the bishop's cloak,
And spread it upon the ground,
And out of the bishop's portmantua
He told three hundred pound.

'Here's money enough, master,' said Little John, 'And a comely sight 'tis to see;

It makes me in charity with the bishop,
Though he heartily loveth not me.'

Robin Hood took the bishop by the hand,
And he caused the music to play;

And he made the bishop to dance in his boots,

And glad he could so get away.

Old Ballad

CXLIII

SIR JOHN SUCKLING'S CAMPAIGN

Sir John got him an ambling nag,

To Scotland for to ride-a,

With a hundred horse more, all his own he swore,

To guard him on every side-a.

No errant knight ever went to fight

With half so gay a bravado ;

Had you seen but his look, you'd have sworn on a book He'd have conquered a whole armado.

The ladies ran all to the windows to see
So gallant and warlike a sight-a,
And as he pass'd by, they began to cry,
'Sir John, why will you go fight-a ?'