Poem by Alfred Castner King

Nature's Lullaby

A MOUNTAIN NOCTURNE

In forest shade my couch is made.
  And there I calmly lie,
With thought confined in pensive mind,
  And contemplate the sky;
I wonder if the frowning cliff,
  The valley and the wood,
Or rugged freaks of mountain peaks,
  Enjoy their solitude.

The heavens hold a sphere of gold,
  A full and placid moon,
Suspended high, in cloudless sky,
  With constellations strewn;
Its mellow beam, on rill and stream,
  In silvery sheen I see;
Before its light, the shades of night
  As evil spirits, flee.

In space afar, a shooting star,
  With swift, uncertain course,
In dazzling sparks its passage marks,
  As it expends its force;
The mountains bare reflect its glare
  Of weird, unearthly light,
And e'en the skies, in glad surprise,
  Behold its gorgeous flight.

The spruce and pine, at timber-line,
  In straggling patches strewn,
Surcharge the breeze with melodies,
  The forests' plaintive tune;
As they descend, the waters blend
  In babbling harmony,
And soothe to rest my tranquil breast,
  With Nature's lullaby.

1. Think Not That the Heart Is Devoid of Emotion
2. Humanity's Stream
3. The Spirit of Freedom Is Born of the Mountains
4. To the Pines
5. There Is an Air of Majesty

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