86
POEMS.
No harshness moved the patient lip,
No hand e'er dealt a cruel blow,
For care and long companionship
Of gentle things had made them so;
And yet, if near their precious fold
Might danger lurk in cave or den—
Rapacious beast, or robber bold—
They could be stern like other men.
No hand e'er dealt a cruel blow,
For care and long companionship
Of gentle things had made them so;
And yet, if near their precious fold
Might danger lurk in cave or den—
Rapacious beast, or robber bold—
They could be stern like other men.
The fleecy covering of their flocks
Became their own, while flowing hair
In unconfined, uncared-for locks
Surrounding foreheads bronzed and bare,
And patriarchal beard that fell
Upon each weather-beaten breast,
The story plainly seemed to tell
No thought of self their minds distressed.
Became their own, while flowing hair
In unconfined, uncared-for locks
Surrounding foreheads bronzed and bare,
And patriarchal beard that fell
Upon each weather-beaten breast,
The story plainly seemed to tell
No thought of self their minds distressed.
What theme inspired their social talk?
For naught could be the world to them,
The circuit of whose daily walk
But girt the plains of Bethlehem;
In palaces and works of art,
And scenes of revelry approved
By royalty, they bore no part—
Nor envyings their spirits moved.
For naught could be the world to them,
The circuit of whose daily walk
But girt the plains of Bethlehem;
In palaces and works of art,
And scenes of revelry approved
By royalty, they bore no part—
Nor envyings their spirits moved.
