And then, for fear of further strife, A serving-man to be a queen. Old Ballad CXL PAIRING TIME ANTICIPATED It chanced upon a winter's day, To forestall sweet St. Valentine, In many an orchard, copse, and grove, And with much twitter and much chatter, At length a Bullfinch, who could boast A finch, whose tongue knew no control, With golden wing and satin poll, A last year's bird, who ne'er had tried What pairing means, thus pert replied : 'Methinks the gentleman,' quoth she, 'Opposite, in the apple-tree, By his good will would keep us single Till yonder heaven and earth shall mingle, Till death exterminate us all. I couple without more ado ; My dear Dick Redcap, what say you?' Dick heard, and tweedling, ogling, bridling, Turning short round, strutting, and sidling, Attested glad his approbation Of an immediate conjugation. All pair'd, and each pair built a nest. But though the birds were thus in haste, Grew quarrelsome, and peck'd each other. Except that they had ever met, And learn'd in future to be wiser W. Cowper CXLI TO A WATER FOWL Whither, 'midst falling dew, While glow the heavens with the last steps of day, Far through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue Thy solitary way? Vainly the fowler's eye Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, Seek'st thou the plashy brink Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide, There is a Power whose care Teaches thy way along that pathless coast, Lone wandering but not lost. All day thy wings have fann'd, And soon that toil'shall end; Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend Soon o'er thy shelter'd nest. Thou'rt gone, the abyss of heaven Hath swallow'd up thy form: yet on my heart He, who from zone to zone Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, In the long way that I must tread alone, Will lead my steps aright. CXLII W. C. Bryant ROBIN HOOD AND THE BISHOP OF HEREFORD Some will talk of bold Robin Hood, And some of barons bold; But I'll tell you how he served the bishop of Hereford, When he robbed him of his gold. As it befel in merry Barnsdale, All under the greenwood tree, The bishop of Hereford was to come by, With all his company. 'Come kill me a ven'son,' said bold Robin Hood, The bishop of Hereford is to dine with me to-day, 'We'll kill a fat ven'son,' said bold Robin Hood, And we will watch the bishop narrowly, Robin Hood dressed himself in shepherd's attire, With six of his men alsó ; And, when the bishop of Hereford came by, 'O what is the matter?' then said the bishop, ‘Or for whom do you make this ado? Or why do you kill the king's ven'son, When your company is so few ?' 'We are shepherds,' said bold Robin Hood, And we are disposed to be merry this day, 'You are brave fellows,' said the bishop, 'And the king your doings shall know: Therefore make haste and come along with me, For before the king you shall go.' 'O pardon, O pardon,' said bold Robin Hood, "O pardon, I thee pray! For it becomes not your lordship's coat To take so many lives away. "No pardon, no pardon,' said the bishop, 'No pardon I thee owe; Therefore make haste and come along with me, For before the king you shall go.' Then Robin set his back against a tree, And his foot against a thorn, And from underneath his shepherd's coat |