‘Twas Even – I said– a lovelier one
On summer roses never shone!
Blue calm and clear – October’s sky
Seemed borrowing hours from bright July!
Round red and large – the setting sun
R<1 word excised> o’er the mighty landscape flung
In mingled gold and crimson rays
The lustre of his distant blaze –
Pale in the eastern heaven the moon
As dreading she had come too soon
To visit there – has sought apace
Behind a cloud a hiding place –
The leaflets as they earthward roll’d
Were all that of a winter told!
An Eve like this – in this drear clime
In such a place – at such a time
Is worth a dozen when the rays
Of hundreds glow around our ways
It looks so lone and yet so sweet
Last of the lovely band to greet
Our wearied eyes – like one bright flower
Which still remains to grace the bower
With hues and perfume – only one
When all the rest are wither’d – gone!
By Heaven, twas sweet! A brighter scene
Ne’er graced an Houri1 in a dream!
The Enchanter’s wand ne’er mystic drew
A fairer vision to the view!
Before me spread like one vast chart
The Landscape mocks the painter’s art!
Far as the eye can reach I scan
The deep blue ocean fading wan!
Beneath me madd’ning as they go
The Lune’s swift waters foaming flow
The Herald of many a tale of woe! (1)
High on the north – from out the clouds
‘The Fells’2 peer forth in snowy shrouds!
Beyond me – bursting on my sight
O’er crag and fell and burnished bright
Like livid gold which lightning mocks
In amphitheatre of rocks
And leafless trunks of oak – appear
The crystal ‘lakes of Windermere’!3–
Oh! for some pure one at that time
To fold – to clasp – to call her mine!
To gaze with her on that sweet scene
Such love as that were no ‘fond dream’!
And looking towards the sun and wave
I thought that one might see him bathe! (2)
Far westward! – in a lovely isle
Were such are even seen to smile
And mutt’ring one deep loving prayer
I sighed and wished that I was there
Then turned to see bright Cynthia4 steal
A peep from ‘neath her golden veil
She rose chill cold and pearly bright
The Queen of shadows! now the night
Was gathering round me – and I threw
One glance towards Erin5 – all was blue
The sun had set – the [cloudlets] perched
Along the fells seemed fixed for rest
Then clambering down – I cried ‘Farewell –
‘To thy bright summit Berkenfell!’
(1) The rapidity of this river has caused many accidents in the upsetting of Ferry boats – About 18 months since a man committed suicide by throwing himself over the bridge of this town – Commonly called the ‘Devil’s Bridge’.6
(2) This will bring an idea of Byron’s to you,
‘And oft I thought at C<1 word excised>7 noon’
‘While gazing o’er the Egian wave’
‘How Thyria gazes on that moon’8
Tis better confess my guilt than be detected in the theft.
RI MS JT/1/TYP/11/3594
LT Transcript Only
an Houri: a beautiful young woman (OED).
‘The Fells’: the famous fells of the Lake District in Cumbria County, England.
‘lakes of Windermere’: a reference to the Lake District. Lake Windermere is the largest of the Lake District lakes.
Cynthia: an archaic reference to the moon.
Once glance towards Erin: i.e., towards Ireland. Erin is a modern derivative of Éirinn, the Irish-language name for Ireland.
the ‘Devil’s Bridge’: an infamous bridge in the Lake District town of Kirkby Lonsdale, Cumbria. In legend, the bridge was built by the Devil to allow an impoverished widow to cross the river and reach her runaway cow. In the story, the woman tricked the Devil into accepting her small dog instead of her soul in exchange for the bridge.
C<1 word excised>: this word should be ‘Cynthia’, but it does not appear in the transcript. See n. 8 for details regarding the source of this stanza.
‘And I oft thought … gazes on that moon’: Lord Byron, ‘One Struggle More, and I Am Free’, 4.v-vii.
Please cite as “Tyndall0256,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on