Why, here comes rain!
The sky grows dark,
—Was that the roll of thunder?
Hark!
The shop affords a safe retreat,
A chair extends its welcome seat,
The tradesman has a civil look
(I’ve paid, impromptu, for my book),
The clouds portend a sudden shower,
I’ll read my purchase for an hour.
..............
What have I rescued from the shelf?
A Boswell, writing out himself!
For though he changes dress and name,
The man beneath is still the same,
Laughing or sad, by fits and starts,
One actor in a dozen parts,
And whatsoe’er the mask may be,
The voice assures us, This is he.
I
say not this to cry him clown;
I
find my Shakespeare in his clown,
His
rogues the self-same parent own;
Nay!
Satan talks in Milton’s tone!
Where’er
the ocean inlet strays,
The
salt sea wave its source betrays,
Where’er
the queen of summer blows,
She
tells the zephyr, “I’m the rose!”
And
his is not the playwright’s page;
His
table does not ape the stage;
What
matter if the figures seen
Are
only shadows on a screen,
He
finds in them his lurking thought,
And
on their lips the words he sought,
Like
one who sits before the keys
And
plays a tune himself to please.
And
was he noted in his day?
Read,
flattered, honored? Who shall say?
Poor
wreck of time the wave has cast
To
find a peaceful shore at last,
Once
glorying in thy gilded name
And
freighted deep with hopes of fame,
Thy
leaf is moistened with a tear,
The
first for many a long, long year!
For
be it more or less of art
That
veils the lowliest human heart
Where
passion throbs, where friendship glows,
Where
pity’s tender tribute flows,
Where
love has lit its fragrant fire,
And
sorrow quenched its vain desire,
For
me the altar is divine,
Its
flame, its ashes,—all are mine!
And
thou, my brother, as I look
And
see thee pictured in thy book,
Thy
years on every page confessed
In
shadows lengthening from the west,
Thy
glance that wanders, as it sought
Some
freshly opening flower of thought,
Thy
hopeful nature, light and free,
I
start to find myself in thee!
Come,
vagrant, outcast, wretch forlorn
In
leather jerkin stained and torn,
Whose
talk has filled my idle hour
And
made me half forget the shower,
I’ll
do at least as much for you,
Your
coat I’ll patch, your gilt renew,
Read
you,—perhaps,—some other time.
Not
bad, my bargain! Price one dime!
Not
bad, my bargain! Price one dime!