Oh fairest of the rural maids! br Thy birth was in the forest shades; br Green boughs, and glimpses of the sky, br Were all that met thy infant eye. br br Thy sports, thy wanderings, when a child, br Were ever in the sylvan wild; br And all the beauty of the place br Is in thy heart and on thy face. br br The twilight of the trees and rocks br Is in the light shade of thy locks; br Thy step is as the wind, that weaves br Its playful way among the leaves. br br Thine eyes are springs, in whose serene br And silent waters heaven is seen; br Their lashes are the herbs that look br On their young figures in the brook. br br The forest depths, by foot unpressed, br Are not more sinless than thy breast; br The holy peace, that fills the air br Of those calm solitudes, is there.