The Poetry Corner

Mark The Concentrated Hazels That Enclose

By William Wordsworth

Mark the concentred hazels that enclose Yon old grey Stone, protected from the ray Of noontide suns: and even the beams that play And glance, while wantonly the rough wind blows, Are seldom free to touch the moss that grows Upon that roof, amid embowering gloom, The very image framing of a Tomb, In which some ancient Chieftain finds repose Among the lonely mountains. Live, ye trees! And thou, grey Stone, the pensive likeness keep Of a dark chamber where the Mighty sleep: For more than Fancy to the influence bends When solitary Nature condescends To mimic Time's forlorn humanities.