Page:The Writings of John Green Whittier (v.1).pdf/285

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AMONG THE HILLS.
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"And higher, warmed with summer lights, Or winter-crowned and hoary,The ridged horizon lifts for him Its inner veils of glory.
"He has his own free, bookless lore, The lessons nature taught him,The wisdom which the woods and hills And toiling men have brought him:
"The steady force of will whereby Her flexile grace seems sweeter;The sturdy counterpoise which makes Her woman's life completer.
"A latent fire of soul which lacks No breath of love to fan it;And wit, that, like his native brooks, Plays over solid granite.
"How dwarfed against his manliness She sees the poor pretension,The wants, the aims, the follies, born Of fashion and convention.
"How life behind its accidents Stands strong and self-sustaining,The human fact transcending all The losing and the gaining.
"And so in grateful interchange Of teacher and of hearer,Their lives their true distinctness keep While daily drawing nearer.
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