The Complete Poetical Works of John Greenleaf Whittier/The Well of Loch Maree
THE WELL OF LOCH MAREE
Pennant, in his Voyage to the Hebrides, describes the holy well of Loch Maree, the waters of which were supposed to effect a miraculous cure of melancholy, trouble, and insanity.
Calm on the breast of Loch Maree
A little isle reposes;
A shadow woven of the oak
And willow o’er it closes.
Within, a Druid’s mound is seen,
Set round with stony warders;
A fountain, gushing through the turf,
Flows o’er its grassy borders.
And whoso bathes therein his brow,
With care or madness burning,
Feels once again his healthful thought
And sense of peace returning.
O restless heart and fevered brain,
Unquiet and unstable,
That holy well of Loch Maree
Is more than idle fable!
Life’s changes vex, its discords stun,
Its glaring sunshine blindeth,
And blest is he who on his way
That fount of healing findeth!
The shadows of a humbled will
And contrite heart are o’er it;
Go read its legend, “Trust in God,”
On Faith’s white stones before it.