Wherewith to cheer him in the winter time." Thus talking of that Peasant, we approached 55 Close to the spot where with his rod and line He stood alone; whereat he turned his head To greet us--and we saw a Man worn down By sickness, gaunt and lean, with sunken cheeks And wasted limbs, his legs so long and lean 60 That for my single self I looked at them, Forgetful of the body they sustained.-- Too weak to labour in the harvest field, The Man was using his best skill to gain A pittance from the dead unfeeling lake 65 That knew not of his wants. I will not say What thoughts immediately were ours, nor how The happy idleness of that sweet morn, With all its lovely images, was changed To serious musing and to self-reproach. 70 Nor did we fail to see within ourselves What need there is to be reserved in speech, And temper all our thoughts with charity. --Therefore, unwilling to forget that day, My Friend, Myself, and She who then received 75 The same admonishment, have called the place By a memorial name, uncouth indeed As e'er by mariner was given to bay Or foreland, on a new-discovered coast; And POINT RASH-JUDGMENT is the name it bears. 80 * * * * * VARIANTS ON THE TEXT [Variant 1: 1815. (Compressing five lines into three.) ... thistle's beard, Which, seeming lifeless half, and half impell'd By some internal feeling, skimm'd along Close to the surface of the lake that lay Asleep in a dead calm, ran closely on Along the dead calm lake, now here, now there, 1800.] [Variant 2: 1820. Its very playmate, and its moving soul. 1800.] [Variant 3: 1802. ... tall plant ... 1800.] [Variant 4: 1827. ... sweet ... 1800.] [Variant 5: 1800. ... with listening ... C.] [Variant 6: 1820. And in the fashion which I have describ'd, Feeding unthinking fancies, we advanc'd 1800.] [Variant 7: 1827. ... we saw 1800.] [Variant 8: 1800. ... a lake. 1802. The text of 1815 returns to that of 1800.] [Variant 9: 1827. ... the margin of the lake. That way we turn'd our steps; nor was it long, Ere making ready comments on the sight Which then we saw, with one and the same voice We all cried out, that he must be indeed An idle man, who thus could lose a day 1800. Did all cry out, that he must be indeed An Idler, he who thus ... 1815.] * * * * * FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT [Footnote A: A new road has destroyed this retirement. (MS. footnote in Lord Coleridge's copy of the edition of 1836.)--Ed.] The text of this poem reached its final state in the edition of 1827. The same is true of the poem which follows, 'To M. H.', with the exception of a single change.