Robin Hood Author:Robert Southey Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE EVENING WALK. " Those who have laid the harp aside, And turned to idler things, From very restlessness have tried The loose and dusty strings, And catc... more »hing back some favourite strain, Run with it o'er the chords again." W. S. Landor. My lonely ramble yester-eve I took, Along that pleasant path that by the brook (Skirting its flowery margin) winds away Through fields all fragrant now with new-mown hay. I could not choose but linger as I went, A willing idler; with a child's content, Gathering the wild-flowers, on that streamlet's edge, Spared by the mower's scythe; a fringing ledge Of spiky purple; epilobium tall, Veronicas, and cuplike coronal Of golden crowsfoot; waving meadow-sweet, And wilding rose, that dipt the stream to meet. And that small brook, so shallow and so clear ! The mother-ewe, without a mother's fear, Led her young lamb from off the shelving brink, Firm in the midway stream to stand and drink. 'Twas pleasant, as it dipp'd and gazed, to see Its wonder at the waf ry mimicry; As here and there, the ripple glancing by, Imaged an up-drawn foot—a round black eye, Wide staring; and a nose, to meet his own That seem'd advancing from below. Anon, From the dark hollow of a little cove, By an old oak-root, richly groin'd above, "Where lay the gather'd waters still and deep, A vaulted well: e'en thence there seems to peep A round white staring face, that starts away As he himself starts back in quick dismay.— Again advancing, with a bolder stare, He butts defiance. Lo! it meets him there, And answers threat with threat. He stands at bay, Perplex' d; and ripe for warfare or for play. Who had not loiter'd, gazed, and smiled like me, Pleased with the pretty wanton's antic...« less