“Child, whither goest thou
Over the snowy hill?
The frost–air nips so keen
That the very clouds are still:
From the golden folding curtains
The sun hath not looked forth,
And brown the snow–mist hangs
Round the mountains to the north.”
“Kind stranger, dost thou see
Yonder church–tower rise,
Thrusting its crown of pinnacles
Into the looming skies?–
Thither go I:–keen the morning
Bites, and deep the snow;
But, in spite of them,
Up the frosted hill I go.”
“Child, and what dost thou
When thou shalt be there?–
The chancel–door is shut–
There is no bell for prayer;
Yester–morn and yester–even
Met we there and prayed;
But now none is there
Save the dead lowly laid.”
“Stranger, underneath that tower,
On the western side,
A happy, happy company
In holy peace abide;
My father, and my mother,
And my sisters four:
Their beds are made in swelling turf
Fronting the western door.”
“Child, if thou speak to them,
They will not answer thee;
They are deep down in earth,–
Thy face they cannot see.
Then wherefore art thou going
Over the snowy hill?
Why seek thy low–laid family
Where they lie cold and still?”
“Stranger, when the summer heats
Would dry their turfy bed,
Duly from this loving hand
With water it is fed;
They must be cleared this morning
From the thick–laid snow;
So now along the frosted field,
Stranger, let me go.”
(Henry Alford)
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Based on Topics: Happiness Poems, Morning Poems, Prayers Poems, Mothers Poems, Summer Poems, Fathers Poems, Snow PoemsBased on Keywords: turfy, nips, church-tower, yester-morn, low-laid, yester-even, snow-mist, thick-laid