[Page 31v]
Floating Island at Hawkhead,
. An Incident in the schemes of Nature
. An Incident in the schemes of Nature
Harmonious powers with nature ⟨work⟩
On sky, earth, river, lake, and sea:
Sunshine and storm, whirlwind and breeze
All in one duteous task agree.
Once did I see a slip of earth,
By throbbing waves long undermined,
Loosed from its hold; — how no one knew
But all might see it float, obedient to the wind.
Dissevered Might see it, from from the verdant shore
Might see it Dissevered^ float upon the Lake,
Float, with its crest of trees adorned
On which the warbling birds their pastime take.
[Page f.32r]
⟨Perchance this little Isle may live⟩
Food, shelter, safety there they find
There berries ripen, flowerets bloom;
There insects live their lives — and die:
A peopled world it is; — in size a tiny room.
And thus through many seasons’ space
Perchance This little Isle may live; Island may survive
But Nature, though we mark her not,
Will take away — may cease to give.
Belike Perchance when you are wandering forth
Upon some vacant sunny day
Without an object, hope, or fear,
Your eyes may seek the Isle — and it is pass’d away.
Thither your eyes may turn — and the Isle is pass’d away.
Buried beneath the glittering Lake!
Its place no longer to be found,
Yet the lost fragments shall remain,
To fertilize some other ground.
M DWordsworth
