<SPAN name="startofbook"></SPAN>
<h2><SPAN name="poem25"></SPAN>TO THE GNAT.</h2>
<p class="noindent">
When by the green-wood side, at summer eve,<br/>
Poetic visions charm my closing eye;<br/>
And fairy-scenes, that Fancy loves to weave,<br/>
Shift to wild notes of sweetest Minstrelsy;<br/>
’Tis thine to range in busy quest of prey,<br/>
Thy feathery antlers quivering with delight,<br/>
Brush from my lids the hues of heav’n away,<br/>
And all is Solitude, and all is Night!<br/>
—Ah now thy barbed shaft, relentless fly,<br/>
Unsheaths its terrors in the sultry air!<br/>
No guardian sylph, in golden panoply,<br/>
Lifts the broad shield, and points the glittering spear.<br/>
Now near and nearer rush thy whirring wings,<br/>
Thy dragon-scales still wet with human gore.<br/>
Hark, thy shrill horn its fearful laram flings!<br/>
—I wake in horror, and ‘dare sleep no more!’</p>
<div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />
1 of 2
2 of 2
Previous
Next
Update Required
To play the media you will need to either update your browser to a recent version or update your Flash plugin.