Poems from the Poetical Works of William Wordsworth

The outward shows of sky and earth,
of hill and valley, he has viewed;
And impulses of deeper birth

Have come to him in solitude.
Wordsworth has outlived many of his con-
temporaries among the poets—as will be seen
from some lines in the latter part of this selec.
tion, in which he touches upon the fact with
much solemnity of sorrow and reflection. One
of his most thoughtful and earnest admirers has
spoken no more than the truth, when saying
“Many will join in my prayer, that health and
strength of body and mind may be granted to
him, to complete the noble works which he has
still in store, so that men may learn more
worthily to understand and appreciate what a
glorious gift God bestows on a nation, when he
gives them a poet."'*

HENRY REED.

Philadelphia, December 1, 1841.

* JULIUS CHARLES HARE: see dedication of "GU'ESSES AT TRUTH, by Two Brothers.'

I have seen
A curious child, who dwelt upon a tract
Of inland ground, applying to his ear
The convolutions of a smooth-lipped shell ;
To which, in silence hushed, his very soul
Listened intensely; and his countenance soon
Brightened with joy; for murmurings from

within
Were heard, sonorous cadences ! whereby,
To his belief, the monitor expressed
Mysterious union with its native sea.
Even such a shell the Universe itself
Is to the ear of Faith.