THE GLEANER
SUGGESTED BY A PICTURE
THE GLEANER
THAT happy gleam of vernal eyes, Those locks from summer’s golden skies, That o’er thy brow are shed; That cheek–a kindling of the morn, That lip–a rose-bud from the thorn, I saw; and Fancy sped To scenes Arcadian, whispering, through soft air, Of bliss that grows without a care, And happiness that never flies– (How can it where love never dies?) 10 Whispering of promise, where no blight Can reach the innocent delight; Where pity, to the mind conveyed In pleasure, is the darkest shade That Time, unwrinkled grandsire, flings From his smoothly gliding wings. What mortal form, what earthly face Inspired the pencil, lines to trace, And mingle colours, that should breed Such rapture, nor want power to feed; 20 For had thy charge been idle flowers, Fair Damsel! o’er my captive mind, To truth and sober reason blind, ‘Mid that soft air, those long-lost bowers, The sweet illusion might have hung, for hours. Thanks to this tell-tale sheaf of corn, That touchingly bespeaks thee born Life’s daily tasks with them to share Who, whether from their lowly bed They rise, or rest the weary head, 30 Ponder the blessing they entreat From Heaven, and ‘feel’ what they repeat, While they give utterance to the prayer That asks for daily bread. 1828.