By Anne Bronte
A fine and subtle spirit dwells
In every little flower,
Each one its own sweet feeling breathes
With more or less of power.
There is a silent eloquence
In every wild bluebell
That fills my softened heart with bliss
That words could never tell.
Yet I recall not long ago
A bright and sunny day,
'Twas when I led a toilsome life
So many leagues away;
That day along a sunny road
All carelessly I strayed,
Between two banks where smiling flowers
Their varied hues displayed.
Before me rose a lofty hill,
Behind me lay the sea,
My heart was not so heavy then
As it was wont to be.
Less harassed than at other times
I saw the scene was fair,
And spoke and laughed to those around,
As if I knew no care.
But when I looked upon the bank
My wandering glances fell
Upon a little trembling flower,
A single sweet bluebell.
Whence came that rising in my throat,
That dimness in my eye?
Why did those burning drops distil —
Those bitter feelings rise?
O, that lone flower recalled to me
My happy childhood's hours
When bluebells seemed like fairy gifts
A prize among the flowers,
Those sunny days of merriment
When heart and soul were free,
And when I dwelt with kindred hearts
That loved and cared for me.
I had not then mid heartless crowds
To spend a thankless life
In seeking after others' weal
With anxious toil and strife.
'Sad wanderer, weep those blissful times
That never may return!'
The lovely floweret seemed to say,
And thus it made me mourn.
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We took walks separately on Thursday because we were waiting for a Peapod delivery order, and, when a bunch of things on our list turned out to be unavailable, a Whole Foods order (no toilet paper anywhere online though we're okay next week, but I can't get veggie burgers anywhere and am starting to get worried). Otherwise, nothing exciting happened: I talked to a couple of friends on the phone and one, in London, via Google Hangouts, I did some more photo organizing, I did two Pokemon raids by myself.
The National Theatre streamed One Man, Two Guvnors with James Corden for free on their YouTube channel in the afternoon, and though we couldn't watch when it first aired because Paul had a phone conference, it's available all week so we watched in the evening. It's laugh-out-loud funny and translates well to the small screen! We also watched a Father Brown episode about a choir competition with lots of relaxing Anglican hymns and no murders. Here are some C&O Canal bluebells:
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