ENDYMION. BOOK I. A THING of beauty is a joy for ever : Its loveliness increases; it will never Pass into nothingness; but still will keep A bower quiet for us, and a sleep Full of sweet dreams, and health, and quiet breathing. A flowery band to bind us to the earth, Spite of despondence, of the inhuman dearth Of all the unhealthy and o'er-darkened ways 10 Made for our searching: yes, in spite of all, With the green world they live in; and clear rills 'Gainst the hot season; the mid forest brake, Rich with a sprinkling of fair musk-rose blooms: And such too is the grandeur of the dooms We have imagined for the mighty dead; All lovely tales that we have heard or read : An endless fountain of immortal drink, Nor do we merely feel these essences 30 |