VIII. The End of the Song.

What dainty note of long-drawn melody

Athwart our dreamless sleep rings sweet and clear,

Till all the fumes of slumber are brushed by,

And with awakened consciousness we hear

The pipe of birds? Look forth! The sane, white day

Blesses the hilltops, and the sun is near.

All misty phantoms slowly roll away

With the night's vapors toward the western sky.

The Real enchants us, the fresh breath of hay

Blows toward us; soft the meadow-grasses lie,

Bearded with dew; the air is a caress;

The sudden sun o'ertops the boundary

Of eastern hills, the morning joyousness

Thrills tingling through the frame; life's pulse beats strong;

Night's fancies melt like dew. So ends the song!