English
How undying is your song,
Most resplendent English tongue!
You’re a tree with countless leaves:
Words whose rustling wonder weaves!
To the mind your sound ascends
And, with swift command, it blends
Beauty with the joys of peace,
Whose delights can never cease.
On thick branches, your fruits grow
And, upon man’s heart, they sow
Lasting stories fed by time,
Mournful longings clothed in rhyme,
Marvels great and unsurpassed,
Fancies of the ages past.
Upon these, the wilful mind
Can indulge, within to find
Bright reflections of its dreams
In the mirror of your streams,
Spread on silk and wrapped in gold
With light touch by craft of old.
Unabashed, from your warm nest,
Eagles proudly fly in quest
For the freedom of the skies,
Where the muses’ shelter lies,
Whence the spirits gather near
Bards and wrights, their thoughts to hear
By your fountain, in the shade,
Where dark worries are allayed.
Often I’m inclined to mourn
That of you I was not born:
You have reared me like your own
And, within your arms, I’ve grown
To delight in your pure taste
Within bounds and without haste,
To take pride that you outshine
All the glories of our time.
Find my poems and published poetry volumes at www.eton-langford.com
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