Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
England: Vols. I–IV. 1876–79. | | | | Westmoreland | | Song for the Spinning Wheel | | William Wordsworth (1770–1850) |
| | Founded upon a Belief Prevalent among the Pastoral Vales of Westmoreland |
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SWIFTLY turn the murmuring wheel! | |
| Night has brought the welcome hour, | |
| When the weary fingers feel | |
| Help, as if from faery power; | |
| Dewy night o’ershades the ground; | 5 |
| Turn the swift wheel round and round! | |
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| Now, beneath the starry sky, | |
| Couch the widely-scattered sheep;— | |
| Ply the pleasant labor, ply! | |
| For the spindle, while they sleep, | 10 |
| Runs with speed more smooth and fine, | |
| Gathering up a trustier line. | |
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| Short-lived likings may be bred | |
| By a glance from fickle eyes; | |
| But true love is like the thread | 15 |
| Which the kindly wool supplies, | |
| When the flocks are all at rest | |
| Sleeping on the mountain’s breast. | | | |
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