The Vale of Grasmere

The vale extended, gleamed and hushed, A starry cap, at twilight brushed, The lantern glow across the dew, Reaching forth to gather you.

With cliffs and lakes encased in sheens, Two swans slide by on mirrored scenes, The echoes pulse in songbird flight, A moment sparkles, warm invite.

In these boughs that cradle shade, The dreams of burdens softly laid, And here among the fields I stand, In gleeful bliss that nature planned.

• Dorothy Wordsworth