The Well of Loch Maree

John Greenleaf Whittier 1807 (Haverhill) – 1892 (Hampton Falls)



Calm on the breast of Loch Maree
A little isle reposes;
A shadow woven of the oak
And willow o'er it closes.

Within, a Druid's mound is seen,
Set round with stony warders;
A fountain, gushing through the turf,
Flows o'er its grassy borders.

And whoso bathes therein his brow,
With care or madness burning,
Feels once again his healthful thought
And sense of peace returning.

O restless heart and fevered brain,
Unquiet and unstable,
That holy well of Loch Maree
Is more than idle fable!

Life's changes vex, its discords stun,
Its glaring sunshine blindeth,
And blest is he who on his way
That fount of healing findeth!

The shadows of a humbled will
And contrite heart are o'er it;
Go read its legend, 'TRUST IN GOD,'
On Faith's white stones before it.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

42 sec read
95

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABXB XBXB ACXC XDAD XEXE XFXF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 736
Words 137
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4, 4, 4, 4

John Greenleaf Whittier

John Greenleaf Whittier was an influential American Quaker poet and ardent advocate of the abolition of slavery in the United States. more…

All John Greenleaf Whittier poems | John Greenleaf Whittier Books

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