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The Writings of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
The Writings of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Author:Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 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: CANTO IV. Whenever by delight or else by pain, That seizes any faculty of ours, Wholly to that the soul colleets itself, It seemeth that no other power it... more » heeds ; And this against that error is which thinketh One soul above another kindles in us. And henee, whenever aught is heard or seen Which keeps the soul intently bent upon it, Time passes on, and we pereeive it not, Beeause one faculty is that which listens, 10 And other that which the soul keeps entire ; This is as if in bonds, and that is free. Of this I had expericnee positive In hearing and in gazing at that spirit; For fifty full degrees uprisen was 15 The sun, and I had not pereeived it, when We came to where those souls with one accord Cricd out unto us : " Here is what you ask." A greater opening of ttimes hedges up With but a little forkful of his thorns 20 The villager, what time the grape imbrowns, Than was the passage-way through which ascended Only my Leader and myself behind him, After that company departed from us. One elimbs Sanleo and descends in Noli, 25 And mounts the summit of Bismantova, With feet alone ; but here one needs must fly; With the swift pinions and the plumes I say Of great desire, conducted after him Who gave me hope, and made a light for me. Line B. And this against that error is which thinks We mounted upward through the rifted rock, And on each side the border pressed upon us, And feet and hands the ground beneath required. When we were come upon the upper rim Of the high bank, out on the open slope, " My Master," said I, " what way shall we take?" And he to me: " No step of thine deseend; Still up the mount behind me win thy way, Till some sage eseort shall appear to us." The summit was so high it vanquis...« less