The Fallen Elm

Old elm, that murmured in our chimney top The sweetest anthem autumn ever made And into mellow whispering calms would drop When showers fell on thy many coloured shade And when dark tempests mimic thunder made-- While darkness came as it would strangle light With the black tempest of a winter night That rocked thee like a cradle in thy root-- How did I love to hear the winds upbraid Thy strength without--while all within was mute.…