Page:Home; or, The unlost paradise (IA homeorunlostpara00palm).pdf/25

Upon their spicy beds that odors yield
More fragrant far; and birds of rarer note
Among their groves pour richer melodies;
And lordlier dwellings rise. But where hath earth
A soil more free, a clime that ministers
More vigor to the frame, or fosters more
True energy of soul? Where Nature's face
A nobler aspect—mountain crests that climb
In their blue dimness, reverend forests tall
Crowning the hills with majesty and grace,
And waterfalls that, with sonorous voice
Softened by distance, charm the listening ear?
Where doth the rustic dwelling more bespeak
Substantial comfort, or with happier art
Where Luxury convenience blend with taste?

  In yon sweet vale that—mingling field and grove
In fair confusion—fills the roving eye
With images of beauty; on a slope
Gently declining toward the midday sun,
A modest mansion stands; a rural Home;