INTRODUCTION 



All day thy wings have fann'd, 



At that far height, the cold, thin atmosphere, 

 Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land, 



Though the dark night is near. 



And soon that toil shall end ; 



Soon shalt thou find a summer home and rest, 

 And scream among thy fellows ; reeds shall bend 



Soon o'er thy sheltered nest. 



Thou 'rt gone, the abyss of heaven 



Hath swallowed up thy form ; yet, on my heart, 

 Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given, 



And shall not soon depart. 



He, who, from zone to zone, 



Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, 

 In the long way that I must tread alone, 



Will lead my steps aright. 



