Poems (Wordsworth, 1815)/Volume 2/To a Young Lady who had been reproached for taking long walks, &c
For works with similar titles, see To a Young Lady.
XI.
TO A YOUNG LADY,
Who had been reproached for taking long Walks in the Country.
Dear Child of Nature, let them rail!
—There is a nest in a green dale,
A harbour and a hold,
Where thou, a Wife and Friend, shalt see
Thy own delightful days, and be
A light to young and old.
There, healthy as a Shepherd-boy,
As if thy heritage were joy,
And pleasure were thy trade,
Thou, while thy Babes around thee cling,
Shalt shew us how divine a thing
A Woman may be made.
Thy thoughts and feelings shall not die,
Nor leave thee when grey-hairs are nigh
A melancholy slave;
But an old age serene and bright,
And lovely as a Lapland night,
Shall lead thee to thy grave.