Pleasure

by Charlotte Brontë (above)

(1816-1855)

True pleasure breathes not city air,

Nor in Art's temples dwells,

In palaces and towers where

The voice of Grandeur dwells.

No! Seek it where high Nature holds

Her court 'mid stately groves,

Where she her majesty unfolds,

And in fresh beauty moves...

Go, sit upon a mountain steep,

And view the prospect round;

The hills and vales, the valley's sweep,

The far horizon bound.

Then view the wide sky overhead,

The still, deep vault of blue,

The sun which golden light doth shed,

The clouds of pearly hue...

Then a calm, solemn pleasure steals

Into your inmost mind;

A quiet aura your spirit feels,

A softened stillness kind.