Dost thou O little cloud? I fear that I am not
like thee:
For I walk through the vales of Har, and smell the
sweetest flowers:
But I feed not the little flowers: I hear the
warbling birds,
But I feed not the warbling birds, they fly and seek
their food:
But Thel delights in these no more because I fade
away
And all shall say, without a use this shining women
liv’d,
Or did she only live to be at death the food of worms.
The Cloud reclind upon his airy throne and answerd thus.
Then if thou art the food of worms, O virgin of the
skies,
How great thy use, how great thy blessing, every thing
that lives.
Lives not alone nor or itself: fear not and I
will call,
The weak worm from its lowly bed, and thou shalt hear
its voice.
Come forth worm and the silent valley, to thy pensive
queen.
The helpless worm arose and sat upon the Lillys leaf,
And the bright Cloud saild on, to find his partner
in the vale.
III.
Then Thel astonish’d view’d the Worm upon its dewy bed.
Art thou a Worm? image of weakness. art thou but
a Worm?
I see thee like an infant wrapped in the Lillys leaf;
Ah weep not little voice, thou can’st not speak,
but thou can’st weep:
Is this a Worm? I see they lay helpless & naked:
weeping
And none to answer, none to cherish thee with mothers
smiles.
The Clod of Clay heard the Worms voice & rais’d
her pitying head:
She bowd over the weeping infant, and her life exhald
In milky fondness, then on Thel she fix’d her
humble eyes
O beauty of the vales of Har, we live not for ourselves,
Thou seest me the meanest thing, and so I am indeed:
My bosom of itself is cold, and of itself is dark,
But he that loves the lowly, pours his oil upon my
head
And kisses me, and binds his nuptial bands around
my breast.
And says; Thou mother of my children, I have loved
thee
And I have given thee a crown that none can take away.
But how this is sweet maid, I know not, and I cannot
know
I ponder, and I cannot ponder; yet I live and love.
The daughter of beauty wip’d her pitying tears
with her white veil,
And said, Alas! I knew not this, and therefore
did I weep:
That God would love a Worm I knew, and punish the
evil foot
That wilful bruis’d its helpless form:
but that he cherish’d it
With milk and oil I never knew, and therefore did
I weep,
And I complaind in the mild air, because I fade away.
And lay me down in thy cold bed, and leave my shining
lot.
Queen of the vales, the matron Clay answered:
I heard thy sighs.
And all thy moans flew o’er my roof, but I have
call’d them down:
Wilt thou O Queen enter my house, tis given thee to
enter,
And to return: fear nothing, enter with thy virgin
feet.