William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878). The Forest Maid. Arthur Quiller-Couch, comp. 1922. The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse

Arthur Quiller-Couch, comp. The Oxford Book of Victorian Verse. 1922.

The Forest Maid

By William Cullen Bryant (1794–1878)


O FAIREST of the rural maids!
Thy birth was in the forest shades;
And all the beauty of the place
Is in thy heart and on thy face.

The twilight of the trees and rocks	5
Is in the light shade of thy locks;
Thy step is as the wind that weaves
Its playful way among the leaves.

Thine eyes are springs, in whose serene
And silent waters heaven is seen;	10
Their lashes are the herbs that look
On their young figures in the brook.

The forest depths by foot unpress’d
Are not more sinless than thy breast;
The holy peace that fills the air	15
Of those calm solitudes is there.