Poems (Hardy)/A Shakespeare reader
A SHAKESPEARE READER
AN island where illusive voice and scene, To lead them to the truth, led men astray; A leafy wood astir with pastoral play;A castle cursed with demon king and queen;A palace brightened by the sunny sheen Of Portia's locks,—these fancy could portray With pallid brush; then they would fade awayLike painted landscapes on a magic screen:But show us, thou interpreter, the wand That Prosper buried certain fathoms deep!Thou hast its potent art. With voice and hand Conjure,—we follow to that orient steepWhich overlooks the Shakespeare tableland,And there, entranced, 'mid living landscapes stand.