My troubled soul with passion filled,

Made my mind a prey to doubt?

An aimless future lies before,

Dry my heart and void my mind.

My soul is dwarfed and crushed beneath

Life's dull riot monotone.

DROWNED.

The children ran up to the cot,

And eager to the father cried:

"Daddie, daddie, come quick, our nets

A body dead to shore have dragged!"

"You lie, you lie, you little imps!"

The angry father roughly growled:

"To think that these my children are!

I'll teach you talk about dead men."

Stern as judge, he 'gan to question;

"Alas, the truth I ne'er shall know,

There's nothing to be done! Eh, wife,

Give here my cloak, for I must go.

Where is this corpse?" "There, father, there!"

In truth, upon the river bank,

Where they the fishing-nets had cast,

A dead man lay. upon the sand.

The corpse had lost its comely form,

All swollen now, of ghastly hue.

Some maddened wretch, who in despair

Had freed his erring soul from woe;

Some fisher caught in angry sea;

Some reeling royster homeward bound:

Or merchant rich, with well - filled purse,

Attacked by cunning thieves and robbed.

With this no peasant has concern!

He looks around, and sets to work;

With sleeves up-tucked, he quickly drags