NOR yet less pleasing at the heavenly throne, The Sabbath service of the shepherd boy! In some lone glen, where every sound is lulled To slumber, save the tinkling of the rill, Or bleat of lamb, or hovering falcon's cry, Stretched on the sward, he reads of Jesse's son ; Or sheds a tear o'er him to Egypt sold, And wonders why he weeps; the volume closed, With thyme-sprig laid between the leaves, he sings The sacred lays, his weekly lesson, conned With meikle care beneath the lowly roof, Where humble lore is learnt, where humble worth Pines unrewarded by a thankless state. Thus reading, hymning, all alone, unseen, The shepherd boy the Sabbath holy keeps, Till on the heights he marks the straggling bands Returning homeward from the house of prayer. GRAHAME HE ne'er had seen one earthly sight; The sun, the day; the stars, the night; Or tree, or butterfly, or flower, Or fish in stream, or bird in bower, Beside a lake their cottage stood, But what do his desires avail? For he must never handle sail, Nor mount the mast, nor row, nor float In sailor's ship or fisher's boat Upon the rocking waves. When one day (now mark me well, But say what bears him? The shell of a green Turtle, thin 'Twas even the largest of its kind, Above the tossing surge. And this the litttle blind Boy knew: A bold thought roused him, and he took The shell from out its secret nook, And bore it in his arms. And with the happy burthen hied, And pushed it from Loch Leven's side,— Following the fancies in his head, Awhile he stood upon his feet; He felt the motion-took his seat; THE BLIND HIGHLAND BOY. But when he was first seen, oh me, And quickly, with a silent crew, A boat is ready to pursue; And from the shore their course they take, And swiftly down the running lake They follow the blind Boy. And then, when he was brought to land, |