She mental breadth, nor fail in chila ward care,

Nor lose the childlike in the larger mind;

Till at the last she set herself to man, Like perfect music unto noble words: And so these twain, upon the skirts of Time.

Sit side by side, full-summed in all their powers,

Dispensing harvest, sowing the To-be, Self-reverent each and reverencing each,

Distinct in individualities,

But like each other even as those who love.

[From The Princess.]
CRADLE SONG.

SWEET and low, sweet and low,
Wind of the western sea,
Low, low, breathe and blow,

Wind of the western sea!
Over the rolling waters go,
Come from the dying moon, and
blow,

Blow him again to me: While my little one, while my pretty one sleeps.

Sleep and rest, sleep and rest,

Father will come to thee soon: Rest, rest, on mother's breast,

Father will come to thee soon; Father will come to his babe in the nest,

Silver sails all out of the west

Under the silver moon:

Sleep, my little one, sleep, my pretty one, sleep,

man:

He gain in sweetness and in moral

height,

But

Nor lose the wrestling thews that throw the world;

of cape:

O too fond, when have I an swered thee?

Ask me no more.

should I give ?

I love not hollow cheek or fadedeye:

Yet, O my friend, I will not have thee die!

Ask me no more, lest I should bid thee live:

part

Of sorrow: for when time was ripe,

The still affection of the heart

Became an outward breathing type, That into stillness passed again,

And left a want unknown before: Although the loss that brought us pain,

That loss but made us love the more,

With farther lookings on. The kiss, The woven arms, seem but to be Weak symbols of the settled bliss,

The comfort, I have found in thee: But that God bless thee, dear- who wrought

Two spirits to one equal mindWith blessings beyond hope or thought,

With blessings which no words can find.

Arise, and let us wander forth,

To yon old mill across the wolds; For look, the sunset, south and north, Winds all the vale in rosy folds, And fires your narrow casement glass,

Touching the sullen pool below: On the chalk-hill the bearded grass Is dry and dewless, let us go.

[From The Miller's Daughter.]
WHAT I WOULD BE.

It is the miller's daughter,
And she is grown so dear, so dear,
That I would be the jewel

That trembles at her ear:
For hid in ringlets day and night,
I'd touch her neck so warm and white.

And I would be the girdle

About her dainty, dainty waist, And her heart would beat against me, In sorrow and in rest:

And I should know if it beat right, I'd clasp it round so close and tight.

The slender acacia would not shake One long milk-bloom on the tree; The white lake-blossom fell into the lake,

As the pimpernel dozed on the lea; But the rose was awake all night for your sake,

Knowing your promise to me; The lilies and roses were all awake, They sighed for the dawn and thee.

Queen rose of the rosebud garden of girls.

Come hither, the dances are done, In gloss of satin and glimmer of pearls,

Queen lily and rose in one; Shine out, little head, sunning over with curls,

To the flowers, and be their sun.

There has fallen a splendid tear From the passion-flower at the gate. She is coming, my dove, my dear; She is coming, my life, my fate; The red rose cries, She is near, she is near;"

And the white rose weeps,

"She is

late;" The larkspur listens, "I hear, I hear;"

And the lily whispers, "I wait."

She is coming, my own, my sweet;

Were it ever so airy a tread, My heart would hear her, and beat, Were it earth in an earthy bed. My dust would hear her, and beat,

Had I lain for a century dead: Would start and tremble under her feet,

And blossom in purple and red.

[From Maud.]

GO NOT, HAPPY DAY.

Go not, happy day,

From the shining fields, Go not, happy day,

Till the maiden yields. Rosy is the West,

Rosy is the South, Roses are her cheeks, And a rose her mouth.

When the happy Yes
Falters from her lips,
Pass and blush the news
O'er the blowing ships,
Over blowing seas,

Over seas at rest,
Pass the happy news,

Blush it through the West, Till the red man dance By his red cedar-tree. And the red man's babe Leap, beyond the sea. Blush from West to East, Blush from East to West, Till the West is East, Blush it through the West. Rosy is the West,

Rosy is the South, . Roses are her cheeks, And a rose her mouth.

THE DEATH OF THE OLD YEAR.

FULL knee-deep lies the winter snow, And the winter winds are wearily sighing:

Toll ye the church-bell sad and slow,
And tread softly and speak low,
For the old year lies a-dying.
Old year, you must not die:
You came to us so readily,
You lived with us so steadily,
Old year, you shall not die.

His face is growing sharp and thin.
Alack! our friend is gone.
Close up his eyes: tie up his chin:
Step from the corpse, and let him in
That standeth there alone,

And waiteth at the door.

There's a new foot on the floor, my friend,

And a new face at the door, my friend,

A new face at the door.

He lieth still; he doth not move;
He will not see the dawn of day.
He hath no other life above;
He gave me a friend, and a true, true-
And the new year will take 'em away.
Old year, you must not go:

So long as you have been with us,
Such joy as you have seen with us,
Old year, you shall not go.

He frothed his bumpers to the brim;
A jollier year we shall not see;
But though his eyes are waxing dim,
And though his foes speak ill of him,

He was a friend to me.

Old year; you shall not die:
We did so laugh and cry with you,
I've half a mind to die with you,
Old year, if you must die.

He was full of joke and jest,
But all his merry quips are o'er.
To see him die across the waste

His son and heir doth ride post-haste,

But he'll be dead before.

Every one for his own.

The night is starry and cold, my friend,

And the new year, blithe and bold, my friend,

Comes up to take his own.

How hard he breathes! over the snow
I heard just now the crowing cock.
The shadows flicker to and fro:
The cricket chirps: the light burns
low:

'Tis nearly twelve o'clock.

Shake hands before you die.
Old year, we'll dearly rue for you:
What is it we can do for you?
Speak out before you die.