A Day in the Woods

Here where the brook flows down

To meet the sea, my cabin stands,

And here I live alone,

And love the solitudes.

I love the wild-wood path,

That winds along the shore,

And leads me to the cove,

Where I have built my boat.

I love to sail my boat

Along the pebbly beach,

And watch the waves that break

Upon the rocks and stones.

I love to listen to

The sound of wind and wave,

And watch the clouds that sail

Along the summer sky.

I love to sit and dream

Of all the things I've seen,

And of the things I hope

To see in days to come.

I love to live alone,

And commune with nature's heart,

And learn the secrets of

The woods and streams and hills.

The song of the woods is in my ear,

The murmur of the brook;

The wind among the pines is here,

The breath of the wild bee's book.

The lark is singing in the sky,

The swallows wheeling near;

The wild-rose blooms beside the rill,

The violets peep in the mere.

The thrush is singing in the bush,

The robin on the tree;

The bluebird twitters in the bush,

The oriole sings to me.

The sunbeams dance upon the hill,

The shadows dance below;

The flowers are blooming in the dell,

The birds are singing in the crow.

The brooklet sings a cheerful song,

The breezes sigh and die;

The flowers are blooming in the dell,

The birds are singing in the sky.

This is the day when I go forth

To gather simples for my store;

The wind is in the south, and soft

The south wind blows upon the shore.

The sun is up, and all the sky

Is blue and clear, and far away

I see the sea, a shining line

Of silver on the distant gray.