How sweet is the Shepherd's sweet lot!
From the morn to the evening he strays;
He shall follow his sheep all the day,
And his tongue shall be filled with praise.
For he hears the lamb's innocent call,
And he hears the ewe's tender reply;
He is watchful while they are in peace,
For they know when their Shepherd is nigh.
I'm going out to clean the pasture spring;
I'll only stop to rake the leaves away
(And wait to watch the water clear, I may):
I sha'n't be gone long. -- You come too.
I'm going out to fetch the little calf
That's standing by the mother. It's so young,
It totters when she licks it with her tongue.
I sha'n't be gone long. -- You come too.
rushing water cuts
through a bucolic scene;
yet, it's still calming.
In mountain meadows, bleating sheep abound, and green grass grows as high as their hunger allows -- about as high as cricket grounds, but I am lost in fantastic wonder. It seems to me this is a storied land, not merely grazing space, but where dragons once flew, and one might see giants, firsthand -- a place that's never known a plow 'r wagons. It's where magic must once have arisen, if ever such a place had existed -- where sparkling streams still burble and glisten whose secret is kept ever tightfisted. If you stumble into this storied realm don't let its siren sight overwhelm.
I lie on the sloping hillside; damp grass tickles my neck. I hear the bleating beasts kibitz as dogs keep them in check. My eyes closed to the azure dome, until eyelids grow dim. I open wide to see the sky, and note that it grows grim. It's time to consult my sheepdog, "Should we beat it, or stay?" He barks to me, "Now can't you see, the clouds 're dirty wool gray?" "I see it clearly as my hand, but what does that shade mean?" "It means you're not a shepherd, and you may need the latrine."
Tiger Riding for Beginners 