Poems (Emma M. Ballard Bell)/A Ramble with Fancy
A RAMBLE WITH FANCY.
Once upon a quiet even,While the ling'ring hues of sunsetO'er the earth were resting lightly,I sat musing in the twilight. Soon I saw a form approaching,And her step was light and graceful.Quickly as I looked upon her,Knew I that her name was Fancy;For so oft with her I've wandered'Mong the grottos, hills, and valleysOf the sweet and mystic Song-Land,That her face hath grown familiar. But this being claims no kindredWith that train of idle fanciesThat so often haunt the spiritLiving only for the present,Never soaring from the earth-mistsAnd the shadows that surround it,Filled with high and noble longingsFor some good yet unaccomplished. And I said to this fair being, "Hast thou come again to lead meOut into the land of Beauty?Many times with you I've wandered'Mong its grottos, hills, and valleys,Plucking here and there a blossom.Far above the hills and valleysOf this land of song and beauty,In sublimity and grandeur,Rise the Everlasting Mountains;And I've listened to the echoesRinging from their secret caverns,Till I long to roam among them;Long to wake some grand, deep echoThat hath never yet been sounded." Then said Fancy, "If it please thee,We will gaze upon those mountainsAs we ramble now together;And perchance in some dim future,If thy life on earth is lengthened,Thou mayst roam among their summits." Onward then with her I journeyed,Till we stood beside those mountains,And I saw Fame's mighty temple,With its broad dome and its arches,Resting on its golden pillars.And I said to my companion,"If to me it shall be granted To ascend those lofty summits,Shall I pass through Fame's broad gateway?"And she said, "It is a questionFuture years alone can answer." Oft amid life's cares and duties,'Mid its joys and 'mid its sorrows,Hope, that bright, sweet being, whispers,"In the dim and distant future,If on earth thou still shouldst linger,Thou shalt climb those mountain summits;Thou shalt wake some grand, deep echoThat hath never yet been sounded."