Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1855-02-02
purtEp.
From " The crayon," foi January io,h."
A Rain Dream.

BY WILLIAM c. bRfANl.
These st,ifos. these tumults Of the noisy world,
Where Ftaud tho coward, ttscks his way by stealth,
Aud Strength, the ru'ian, slcries In his guilt,
orntess the heat with sBdaess. Oh, my fiiend,
Ia what ssrenef mood we look upqn
The sloo,niesi aspects Of the elements
Among the woods aud delds Let az awhile,
A. the slow wiad Is rolling up the storm,
in fancy ieave this maze Of dusty streets,
Forever shaken by the importunatc jar
Ofoommerce, and upon the darkcning air
Look from tho shelter II rural home.
/ Who !. awed that lisieas to th, Rain,
Sending his voice before him Mighty rain
The upland streets shrouded by the nis,s
The wales gloomy with thy shade the pools
No longer glimmer, and the siivery streams
Darken to veins Of lead Al thy appfoich.
| Oh, mighty Rain already thou ar, hais;
/ And every roof is beaten By thy streams,
And as thou passesi, every classy spung
Grows rough, and every leaf in all the woods
/ Ia struck aud quivefs. All the hilltop. slake
Their thirs, from thee thousand ia-gushins fields,
A thousand faiaiius gardens are refreshed
A thousand idle rivulets start to speed,
/ And with the graver murmur ofthe storm
! Blend their light voices they hurry
/ Thou fll'.i the circle Of the aimos lhers
Alone there is no living thing abroad,
/ No bird to wing the sir, nor beast 10 walk
/ The field the squirrel ia the forest seeks
His hollow tree the marmo, ofthe field
{ Has scampcred to hi- Don the buttethy
I Hides under her broad lesf; the insect crowd.
This, made the sunshine populous, lie close
[ ia theii my.tofiou. shelters, whunea the SUI
VIII 50 nmon them again. The mighty Raia
Holds the empire Of the shy alone.
shut my eyes, md sec a. in a dream,
The friendly clouds drop down spring violet.
And summer eolombine., and all the flowers
That init the Woodland fooi or overeaeh
The stresme,;- spity gras. for genial Juae.
Brown harvesis for the waiting hu.bAndmaa,
And tot the wood deluge Of fresl, leaves.
see these myriad drop, that stale the dust,
Gathered ia glorious streams, OF rolling blue
In billo~s on sbe lake the deep.
And bearing navies. bshoN them chsnse
To thread. Of crystal as they sink IN Garth,
And ieavs its stains behind, to rise sgain
10 pleasant nooss Of voflure where the child,
Thirsty with play, in both his little hamHs
Shall take the cool clear water, raising 1t
To wet his pretty lips. Tomorrow noon
How proudly will the ~aict.hlly ride
The bfmming pool, overlooking, like queen
Her circle Of bread leaves. la lonely wastes
When neat the sunshine makes them beautiful,
Gray troops Of butterflies shall troop 10 drink
Al the replenished hollow. Of the rock.
Nov slowly f,. the dull blank nj III, and sill.
All through the s,srlcss hours, the mighty Rain
smiies with perpetual scnpd the forest Leaves,
Ard beat. the matted sri.s and still the earth
Diinks the uass.nted bounty Of the Clouds
Drink. for her cottage IL, her woodland brooks,
Dnats for the spriagng tout, the ioiling bee,
Ani bioediag bid, drinks for her tender flowers,
Tall oaks, aad ali The heritage Of her hills.
meitnckolg sound is in the air,
deep sigh N the distance, a shrtI vail
Around my d~elins. ii. the wind Of night;
A lonely wsedersf between earth anil cloud
In The black shadow ami the chilly mist,
Along the streaming mountain side, und through
! The dripping wooj-, aaa DER the plAshy fields.
Roaming and sorrcwiag sin, like one Who makes
The journey Of hfs alone, and nov here meets
We come Or friend. and still goes on
] 10 darkness. fetuwhile, little while,
Aud he shailto The gitte,ng lspse. in Play,
And daily with 'ia hssefs and ,ily hfr
/ The slender herb., pressed low by weight Of rain.
( And dive, 10 joyous riu,u5'h though The sky,
White eiouis, tas gsara rernaanis Of the storm.