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  • Feb. 7, 1863
  • Page 17
  • THE WEEK.
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The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine, Feb. 7, 1863: Page 17

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Poetry.

Poetry .

SHAKESPEAEE AND STRATFORD-UPON-AVON . BY MRS . SIGOIIENEY . What nurtured Shakespeare ' mid these village shades , Making a poor deer-stalking lad a king ] In the broad realms of mind ?

I questioned much Whatever met my view , the holly-hedge , The cottage-rose , the roof where he was born , And the pleached avenue of lines , that led To the old church . And pausing there , I marked The mossy efflorescence on the stones ,

Which , kindling in the sun-beam , taught me how Its little seeds were fed by mouldering life , And how another race of tiny roots , The fathers of the future , should compel From hardest-hearted rocks a nutriment , Until the fern-plant and tho ivy sere Made ancient buttress and grim battlement Then- nursing mothers .

But again I asked , "What nurtured Shakespeare ? " The rejoicing birds Wove a wild song , whose burden seemed to be , He was their pupil when he chose , and knew Their secret maze of melody to wind , Snatching its sweetness for his winged strain With careless hand .

The timid flowrets said , "He came among us like a sleepless bee , And all those pure and rarests essences , Concocted by our union with the skies , Which in our cups or zones we fain would hide , He rifled for himself ancl bore way . "

—The winds careering in their might replied , " Upon our wings he rode , and visited The utmost stars . AVe could not shake him off . Even on the fleecy clouds he laid his hand , As on a courser ' s mane , and made them work With all their countless hues his wondrous will . "

—And then meek Avon raised a murmuring voice , What time the Sabbath-chimes came pealing sweet Though the umbrageous trees , ancl told how oft Along those banks he wandered , pacing slow , As if to read the depths .

Ere I had closed My questioning , the ready rain came down , And every-pearl drop , as it kissed the turf , Said , " We have been his teachers . When we fell Pattering among the vine leaves , he would list Our lessons as a student , nor despise Our simplest lore . "

And then the bow burst forth That love-token of the Deity -. / Unto a drowning world . Each prismed ray Had held bright dalliance with the bard , and helped To tint the woof in which his thought was wrapped For its first cradle-sleep .

Then twilight came In her grey robe , aud told a tender tale Of his low musings , while she noiseless drew Her quiet curtain . And the queenly moon ,

Poetry.

Riding in state upon her silver car , Confessed she saw bin oft , through chequering shades , Hour after hour , with fancy by his side , Linking their young imaginings , like chains Of pearl and diamond . Last , the lowly

grave—Shakespeare ' s own grave—sent forth a hollow tone . — " The heart within my casket read itself , And from that inward study learned to scan The hearts of other men . It pondered long In those lone cells , where nameless thought is born , Explored the roots of passion , and the founts

Of sympathy , and at each sealed recess Knocked , until mystery fled . Hence her love bard Nature doth crown with flowers of every hue , And every season ; and the human soul , Owning his power , shall at his magic touch Shudder , or thrill , while age on age expires . "

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COURT . —The Queen has commanded that a levee shall be held at St . James ' s Palace , on Wednesday , the 25 th February , by His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales , on behalf of Her Majesty . The Queen has commanded that a drawing room also shall be hold on Saturday , February 28 th , at St . James ' s Palace , by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Prussia , Princess

Royal of Great Britian and Ireland , on behalf of Her Majesty . All presentations will be considered as being made to Her Majesty . The Queen having taken into consideration the interests of trades , does not require any ladies to appear in mourn-: ing at the drawing-room announced on the 2 Sth inst ., excepting the ladies of the corps diplomatique , the wives of the Cabinet

Ministers , and the ladies of Her Majesty's household . —The marriage of His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales , with the Princess Alexandra of Denmark , will take place upon Tuesday , March 10 th . The ceremony will be performed in St . George's Chapel , Windsor Castle , in which chapel the Prince of Wales was christened , and by which arrangement the Queen will be enabled to be present in private , which could not under existing circumstances have been the case at the Chapel in London .

Upon the 7 th March the Princess Alexandra will arrive iu England , and upon her arrival at the Bricklayer's Arms Station will drive , accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the members of her family , who come to England with her , and attended by her suite , through the City and West-end of London to the Paddington terminus , on her way to Windsor .

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . — -The session was opened on Thursday by the Queen's speech , delivered by commission . Her Majesty announces the approaching marriage of the Prince of Wales with the Princess Alexandra of Denmark , and doubts not that Parliament will enable her to make provision for an establishment suitable to the rank and dignity of the Heir apparent

to the Crown . A revolution having taken place in Greece , by ivhich the throne of that kingdom has become vacant , the Greek nation have expressed the strongest desire that her Majesty's son , Prince Alfred , should accept the Greek Crown ; but the diplomatic engagements of her Majesty ' s Crown , together with other weighty considerations , have prevented her Majesty from

yielding to this general wish of the Greek nation . Her Majesty trusts , however , that the Greek nation may be guided to the selection of a sovereign under whose sway the kingdom of

“The Freemasons' Monthly Magazine: 1863-02-07, Page 17” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 8 June 2025, django:8000/periodicals/mmr/issues/mmr_07021863/page/17/.
  • List
  • Grid
Title Category Page
GRAND CHAPTER. Article 1
ANTIQUITY OF MASONIC DEGREES. Article 1
THE HIDDEN MYSTERIES OF NATURE AND SCIENCE.—PART II. Article 2
THE POEMS AND SONGS OF THE LATE BRO. FRANCIS LOVE, OF LODGE No. 169. (S.C.) Article 4
MASONIC NOTES AND QUERIES. Article 4
CORRESPONDENCE. Article 5
Untitled Article 6
METROPOLITAN. Article 6
PROVINCIAL. Article 7
SCOTLAND. Article 15
IRELAND. Article 15
COLONIAL. Article 15
MARK MASONRY. Article 15
MASONIC FESTIVITIES Article 16
ROYAL ARCH. Article 16
Poetry. Article 17
THE WEEK. Article 17
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 20
GRAND LODGE PROPERTY. Article 20
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Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

Poetry.

Poetry .

SHAKESPEAEE AND STRATFORD-UPON-AVON . BY MRS . SIGOIIENEY . What nurtured Shakespeare ' mid these village shades , Making a poor deer-stalking lad a king ] In the broad realms of mind ?

I questioned much Whatever met my view , the holly-hedge , The cottage-rose , the roof where he was born , And the pleached avenue of lines , that led To the old church . And pausing there , I marked The mossy efflorescence on the stones ,

Which , kindling in the sun-beam , taught me how Its little seeds were fed by mouldering life , And how another race of tiny roots , The fathers of the future , should compel From hardest-hearted rocks a nutriment , Until the fern-plant and tho ivy sere Made ancient buttress and grim battlement Then- nursing mothers .

But again I asked , "What nurtured Shakespeare ? " The rejoicing birds Wove a wild song , whose burden seemed to be , He was their pupil when he chose , and knew Their secret maze of melody to wind , Snatching its sweetness for his winged strain With careless hand .

The timid flowrets said , "He came among us like a sleepless bee , And all those pure and rarests essences , Concocted by our union with the skies , Which in our cups or zones we fain would hide , He rifled for himself ancl bore way . "

—The winds careering in their might replied , " Upon our wings he rode , and visited The utmost stars . AVe could not shake him off . Even on the fleecy clouds he laid his hand , As on a courser ' s mane , and made them work With all their countless hues his wondrous will . "

—And then meek Avon raised a murmuring voice , What time the Sabbath-chimes came pealing sweet Though the umbrageous trees , ancl told how oft Along those banks he wandered , pacing slow , As if to read the depths .

Ere I had closed My questioning , the ready rain came down , And every-pearl drop , as it kissed the turf , Said , " We have been his teachers . When we fell Pattering among the vine leaves , he would list Our lessons as a student , nor despise Our simplest lore . "

And then the bow burst forth That love-token of the Deity -. / Unto a drowning world . Each prismed ray Had held bright dalliance with the bard , and helped To tint the woof in which his thought was wrapped For its first cradle-sleep .

Then twilight came In her grey robe , aud told a tender tale Of his low musings , while she noiseless drew Her quiet curtain . And the queenly moon ,

Poetry.

Riding in state upon her silver car , Confessed she saw bin oft , through chequering shades , Hour after hour , with fancy by his side , Linking their young imaginings , like chains Of pearl and diamond . Last , the lowly

grave—Shakespeare ' s own grave—sent forth a hollow tone . — " The heart within my casket read itself , And from that inward study learned to scan The hearts of other men . It pondered long In those lone cells , where nameless thought is born , Explored the roots of passion , and the founts

Of sympathy , and at each sealed recess Knocked , until mystery fled . Hence her love bard Nature doth crown with flowers of every hue , And every season ; and the human soul , Owning his power , shall at his magic touch Shudder , or thrill , while age on age expires . "

The Week.

THE WEEK .

THE COURT . —The Queen has commanded that a levee shall be held at St . James ' s Palace , on Wednesday , the 25 th February , by His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales , on behalf of Her Majesty . The Queen has commanded that a drawing room also shall be hold on Saturday , February 28 th , at St . James ' s Palace , by Her Royal Highness the Crown Princess of Prussia , Princess

Royal of Great Britian and Ireland , on behalf of Her Majesty . All presentations will be considered as being made to Her Majesty . The Queen having taken into consideration the interests of trades , does not require any ladies to appear in mourn-: ing at the drawing-room announced on the 2 Sth inst ., excepting the ladies of the corps diplomatique , the wives of the Cabinet

Ministers , and the ladies of Her Majesty's household . —The marriage of His Eoyal Highness the Prince of Wales , with the Princess Alexandra of Denmark , will take place upon Tuesday , March 10 th . The ceremony will be performed in St . George's Chapel , Windsor Castle , in which chapel the Prince of Wales was christened , and by which arrangement the Queen will be enabled to be present in private , which could not under existing circumstances have been the case at the Chapel in London .

Upon the 7 th March the Princess Alexandra will arrive iu England , and upon her arrival at the Bricklayer's Arms Station will drive , accompanied by the Prince of Wales and the members of her family , who come to England with her , and attended by her suite , through the City and West-end of London to the Paddington terminus , on her way to Windsor .

IMPERIAL PARLIAMENT . — -The session was opened on Thursday by the Queen's speech , delivered by commission . Her Majesty announces the approaching marriage of the Prince of Wales with the Princess Alexandra of Denmark , and doubts not that Parliament will enable her to make provision for an establishment suitable to the rank and dignity of the Heir apparent

to the Crown . A revolution having taken place in Greece , by ivhich the throne of that kingdom has become vacant , the Greek nation have expressed the strongest desire that her Majesty's son , Prince Alfred , should accept the Greek Crown ; but the diplomatic engagements of her Majesty ' s Crown , together with other weighty considerations , have prevented her Majesty from

yielding to this general wish of the Greek nation . Her Majesty trusts , however , that the Greek nation may be guided to the selection of a sovereign under whose sway the kingdom of

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