When breezes are soft and skies are fair, I steal an hour from study and care,
And hie me away to the woodland scene,
Where wanders the stream with waters of green,
5 As if the bright fringe of herbs on its brink
Had given their stain to they wave they drink;
And they, whose meadows it murmurs through,
Have named the stream from its own fair hue.

Yet pure its waters—its shallows are bright
10 With colored pebbles and sparkles of light,
And clear the depths where its eddies play,
And dimples deepen and whirl away,
And the plane-tree's speckled arms o'ershoot
The swifter current that mines its roots,
15 Through whose shifting leaves, as you walk the hill,
The quivering glimmer of sun and rill
With a sudden flash in the eye is thrown,
Like the ray that streams from the diamond stone.
Oh, loveliest there the spring days come,
20 With blossoms, and birds, and wild bees' hum;
The flowers of summer are fairest there,
And sweetest the golden autumn day
In silence and sunshine glides away.

Yet fair as thou art, thou shunnest to glide,
25 Beautiful stream! by the village side;
But windest away from haunts of men,
To quiet valley and shaded glen;
And forest, and meadow, and slope of hill,
Around thee, are lonely, lovely, and still.
30 Lonely—save when, by the rippling tides,
From thicket to thicket the angler glides;
Or the simpler comes with basket and book,
For herbs of power on thy banks to look;
Or haply, some idle dreamer, like me,
35 To wander, and muse, and gaze on thee.
Still—save the chirp of birds that feed
On the river cherry and seedy reed,
Any thy own wild music gushing out
With mellow murmur and fairy shout,
40 From the dawn to the blush of another day,
Like traveler singing along his way.

That fairy music I never hear,
Nor gaze on those waters so green and clear,
And mark them winding away from sight,
45 Darkened with shade or flashing with light,
While o'er them the vine to its thickest clings,
And the zephyr stoops to freshen his wings,
But I wish that fate had left me free
To wander these quiet haunts with thee,
50 Till the eating cares of earth should depart,
And the peace of the scene pass into my heart;
And I envy thy stream, as it glides along,
Through its beautiful banks in a trance of song.

Though forced to drudge for the dregs of men,
55 And scrawl strange words with the barbarous pen,
And mingle among the jostling crowd,
Where the sons of strife are subtle and loud—
I often come to this quiet place,
To breathe the airs that ruffle thy face,
60 And gaze upon thee in silent dream,
For in thy lonely and lovely stream
An image of that calm life appears
That won my heart in my greener years.
2
Select ALL the correct answers.
Which two statements express themes of the poem?
Nature offers a place of rest for those who are weary.
Through the seasons, nature has many beauties.
In spring, nature is at the height of its loveliness.
People envy the tranquility of nature.
Humans desire control over nature.