Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
England: Vols. I–IV. 1876–79.

Wardour Castle

Wardour Castle

By William Lisle Bowles (1762–1850)

IF rich designs of sumptuous art may please,

Or nature’s loftier views august and old,

Stranger! behold this spreading scene;—behold

This amphitheatre of aged trees

That solemn wave above thee, and around

Darken the towering hills! Dost thou complain

That thou shouldst cope with penury or pain,

Or sigh to think what pleasures might be found

Amid such wide possessions!—Pause awhile;

Imagine thou dost see the sick man smile;

See the pale exiles that in yonder dome,

Safe from the wasteful storm, have found a home;

And thank the Giver of all good, that lent

To the humane, retired, beneficent

The power to bless. Nor lift thy heart elate

If such domains be thine; but emulate

The fair example, and those deeds that rise

Like holy incense wafted to the skies;

Those deeds that shall sustain the conscious soul,

When all this empty world hath perished like a scroll!