BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH. XIX 



Amid sufli influrin-i's of lilcnitiirc, of nature, aiul of religion, it 

 is no -wonder that the intellect, the emotions, and the fjiilli were 

 c[nickcncd and developed together m that symmetry of coml)ina- 

 tion which constitutes the poet. In fact, the attention of the 

 jniblic was lirst attracted to him wiiile he was 3-et in his boyhood, 

 as one who gave promise, by more than one effusion of bright ])ut 

 immature genius, of fulfilling those hopes of a great poetic career 

 which had been dashed by tlie early death of his lamented uncle. 

 The general interest now concentrated upon him has led to the 

 exhuming, from among old periodicals, of some of these early 

 productions. The following, written by him when a lad of six- 

 teen yeai-s old, and published in a newspaper at the time, has a 

 proper place in this biography, as a picture of the beautiful sur- 

 roundings of his child-life, and an illustration of the traits and 

 tendencies alread}' forming in his character. 



80UVEXIRS D'EXFAXCE. 



" Dolce color d'oriental saflîro.'"— Dante. 



Lorsque j'étais encore un enfant frais et blond, 

 Que rien n'avait troublé le calme de mon front, 

 Mes jours, entre les jeux, la prière et l'étude, 

 S'écoulaient à l'écart et dans la solitude. 



Notre maison était à côté d'un couvent, 



Dans l'église duquel j'allais prier souvent. 



Sainte-Ursule ! — Ah ! ce nom ranime en ma pensée 



Le vivant souvenir d'une époque effacée, 



Époque d'innocence, époque de bonheur, 



Où mon ame portait tout son printemps en fleur ! 



Je t'aime ! Et cependant tu n'as point, humble église, 



De larges chapiteaux, ni d'élégante frise, 



Ni d'ogive mystique aux vitreaux de couleur 



Qui laissent pénétrer un demi-jour rêveur. 



Je t'aime, et tu n'as point de dentelle de pierre. 



De vieux murs tapissés par la mousse et le lierre, 



