Of lambs enfolded in the Shepherd's arms；
Of Him who blessed the children； of the land
Where crystal rivers feed unfading flowers；
Of cities golden…paved with streets of pearl；
Of the white robes the winged creatures wear；
The crowns and harps from whose melodious strings
One long； sweet anthem flows forevermore！
We too bad human mothers； even as Thou；
Whom we have learned to worship as remote
》From mortal kindred； wast a cradled babe。
The milk of woman filled our branching veins；
She lulled us with her tender nursery…song；
And folded round us her untiring arms；
While the first unremembered twilight year
Shaped us to conscious being； still we feel
Her pulses in our own；too faintly feel；
Would that the heart of woman warmed our creeds！
Not from the sad…eyed hermit's lonely cell；
Not from the conclave where the holy men
Glare on each other； as with angry eyes
They battle for God's glory and their own；
Till； sick of wordy strife； a show of hands
Fixes the faith of ages yet unborn；
Ah； not from these the listening soul can hear
The Father's voice that speaks itself divine！
Love must be still our Master； till we learn
What he can teach us of a woman's heart；
We know not His； whose love embraces all。
There are certain nervous conditions peculiar to women in which the
common effects of poetry and of music upon their sensibilities are
strangely exaggerated。 It was not perhaps to be wondered at that
Octavia fainted when Virgil in reading from his great poem came to
the line beginning Tu Marcellus eris： It is not hard to believe the
story told of one of the two Davidson sisters； that the singing of
some of Moore's plaintive melodies would so impress her as almost to
take away the faculties of sense and motion。 But there must have
been some special cause for the singular nervous state into which
this reading threw the young girl； our Scheherezade。 She was
doubtless tired with overwork and troubled with the thought that she
was not doing herself justice； and that she was doomed to be the
helpless prey of some of those corbies who not only pick out corbies'
eyes； but find no other diet so nutritious and agreeable。
Whatever the cause may have been； her heart heaved tumultuously； her
color came and went； and though she managed to avoid a scene by the
exercise of all her self…control； I watched her very anxiously； for I
was afraid she would have had a hysteric turn； or in one of her
pallid moments that she would have fainted and fallen like one dead
before us。
I was very glad； therefore； when evening came； to find that she was
going out for a lesson on the stars。 I knew the open air was what
she needed； and I thought the walk would do her good； whether she
made any new astronomical acquisitions or not。
It was now late in the autumn； and the trees were pretty nearly
stripped of their leaves。There was no place so favorable as the
Common for the study of the heavens。 The skies were brilliant with
stars； and the air was just keen enough to remind our young friends
that the cold season was at hand。 They wandered round for a while；
and at last found themselves under the Great Elm； drawn thither； no
doubt； by the magnetism it is so well known to exert over the natives
of its own soil and those who have often been under the shadow of its
outstretched arms。 The venerable survivor of its contemporaries that
flourished in the days when Blackstone rode beneath it on his bull
was now a good deal broken by age； yet not without marks of lusty
vitality。 It had been wrenched and twisted and battered by so many
scores of winters that some of its limbs were crippled and many of
its joints were shaky； and but for the support of the iron braces
that lent their strong sinews to its more infirm members it would
have gone to pieces in the first strenuous northeaster or the first
sudden and violent gale from the southwest。 But there it stood； and
there it stands as yet；though its obituary was long ago written
after one of the terrible storms that tore its branches；leafing out
hopefully in April as if it were trying in its dumb language to lisp
〃Our Father；〃 and dropping its slender burden of foliage in October
as softly as if it were whispering Amen！
Not far from the ancient and monumental tree lay a small sheet of
water； once agile with life and vocal with evening melodies； but now
stirred only by the swallow as he dips his wing； or by the morning
bath of the English sparrows； those high…headed； thick…bodied； full…
feeding； hot…tempered little John Bulls that keep up such a swashing
and swabbing and spattering round all the water basins； one might
think from the fuss they make about it that a bird never took a bath
here before； and that they were the missionaries of ablution to the
unwashed Western world。
There are those who speak lightly of this small aqueous expanse； the
eye of the sacred enclosure； which has looked unwinking on the happy
faces of so many natives and the curious features of so many
strangers。 The music of its twilight minstrels has long ceased； but
their memory lingers like an echo in the name it bears。 Cherish it；
inhabitants of the two…hilled city； once three…hilled； ye who have
said to the mountain； 〃Remove hence；〃 and turned the sea into dry
land！ May no contractor fill his pockets by undertaking to fill
thee； thou granite girdled lakelet； or drain the civic purse by
drawing off thy waters！ For art thou not the Palladium of our Troy？
Didst thou not； like the Divine image which was the safeguard of
Ilium； fall from the skies； and if the Trojan could look with pride
upon the heaven…descended form of the Goddess of Wisdom； cannot he
who dwells by thy shining oval look in that mirror and contemplate
Himself；the Native of Boston。
There must be some fatality which carries our young men and maidens
in the direction of the Common when they have anything very
particular to exchange their views about。 At any rate I remember two
of our young friends brought up here a good many years ago； and I
understand that there is one path across the enclosure which a young
man must not ask a young woman to take with him unless he means
business； for an action will holdfor breach of promise； if she
consents to accompany him； and he chooses to forget his obligations：
Our two young people stood at the western edge of the little pool；
studying astronomy in the reflected firmament。 The Pleiades were
trembling in the wave before them； and the three great stars of
Orion；for these constellations were both glittering in the eastern
sky。
〃There is no place too humble for the glories of heaven to shine in；〃
she said
〃And their splendor makes even this little pool beautiful and noble；〃
he answered。 〃Where is the light to come from that is to do as much
for our poor human lives？〃
A simple question enough； but the young girl felt her color change as
she answered； 〃From friendship； I think。〃
Grazing only as …yet；not striking full； hardly hitting at all；
but there are questions and answers that come so very near； the wind
of them alone almost takes the breath away。
There was an interval of silence。 Two young persons can stand
looking at water for a long time without feeling the necessity of
speaking。 Especially when the water is alive with stars and the
young persons are thoughtful and impressible。 The water seems to do
half the thinking while one is looking at it； its movements are felt
in the brain very much like thought。 When I was in full training as
a flaneur； I could stand on the Pont Neuf with the other experts in
the great science of passive cerebration and look at the river for
half an hour with so little mental articulation that when I moved on
it seemed as if my thinking…marrow had been asleep and was just
waking up refreshed after its nap。
So the reader can easily account for the interval of silence。 It is
hard to tell how long it would have lasted； but just then a lubberly
intrusive boy threw a great stone； which convulsed the firmament； the
one at their feet； I mean。 The six Pleiads disappeared as if in
search of their lost sister； the belt of Orion was broken asunder；
and a hundred worlds dissolved back into chaos。 They turned away and
strayed off into one of the more open paths； where the view of the
sky over them was unobstructed。 For some reason or other the
astronomical lesson did not get on very fast this evening。
Presently the young man asked his pupil：
Do you know what the constellation directly over our heads is？
Is it not Cassiopea？she asked a little hesitatingly。
No； it is Andromeda。 You ought not to have forgotten her； for I
remember showing you a double star； the one in her right foot；
through the equatorial telescope。 You have not forgotten the double
star；the two that shone for each other and made a little world by
themselves？
No； indeed；she answered； and blushed； and felt ashamed because
she had said indeed； as if it had been an emotional recollection。
The double…star allusion struck another dead silence。 She would have
given a week's pay to any invisible attendant that would have cut her
stay…lace。
At last： Do you know the story of Androm