Birds and flowers, or, Lays and lyrics of rural life

Ok"
Ak*



















W7





















IV
























BIRDS AND FLOWERS.







elronM3' Stries of [lnbenjic 'Ltt-XOooko.


BIRDS


AND FLOWERS;


LAYS AND LYRICS OF RURAL LIFE.


WRITTEN BY

a Tr ) T- jo 0to itt,

AND ILLUSTRATED WITH UPWARDS OF ONE HUNDRED DRAWINGS BY

H. GIACOMELLI,
ILLUSTRATOR OF TIE BIRD BY MICHELET.












LONDON:
T. NELSON AND SONS, PATERNOSTER ROW;
EDINBURGH; AND NEW YORK.
1873.




















PUBLISHERS NOOTE,




"T is with cordial satisfaction we submit to the Public the present
,'f; volume, characterized as it is by a singularly felicitous combin-
nation of talent-namely, that of a deservedly popular English
Authoress, whose admirable contributions to English literature
will not readily be forgotten; and that of a distinguished
French Artist, whose designs in The Bird by 3I. I rt, and Nature"
by Madame Michelet, have attracted the favourable attention of our best
Art-critics by their power, delicacy, and truthfulness.
It was at our special request that M. Giacomelli kindly undertook
the task of illustrating the following pages; and we think the reader
will own that he has executed it with the greatest success. If we are
not mistaken, he has interpreted the graceful poetry of Mary Howitt
with kindred grace. Such being the case, we presume to expect for the
present volume,--one of a series of Juvenile Art-Books we are engaged
in preparing,-a very considerable measure of popularity; and we con-
fidently believe that this new edition of Birds and Flowers will make
the honoured name of lMARY IOWlITT still more widely known as that
of one of our most agreeable English writers, and M. GIACOMELLI'S as
that of one of the most eminent artists of modern France.








NOTE BY THE AUTHOR.


His drawings, it is right to add, have been rendered with scrupulous
care and faithfulness by the best English and French engravers; in the
main, by those who executed the illustrations of Nature" and "The
Bird."
T. NELSON AND SONS.




NOTE BY THE AUTHOR.

MY kind Publishers, in their preliminary Note to the present edition of
this work, have expressed themselves in such obliging terms in relation
to it, that I feel some diffidence in complying with their desire that I
would myself add a few words before finally dismissing it from the press.
I may, however, avail myself of this opportunity of acknowledg-
ing the gratification I feel in seeing my book brought out in so
beautiful a manner, and illustrated and embellished by M. Giacomelli,
an artist who has studied Nature so carefully, and who possesses so
peculiar a power of delineating her works, not only with rare fidelity,
but, at the same time, both gracefully and poetically.
All honour has thus been done to these simple verses, which, in
themselves, can but claim to be as the wild-flowers by the wayside, or
the songs of the birds in the bushes ; and very great pleasure does it
afford me to see it permitted thus to enjoy, as it were, a second spring-
time.
MARY HOWITT.
IROME, November 1, 172.


'* Sketches of Natural History," in Verse, by the same Author, and illustrated
by the same Artist, forming the second volume of our Series of Juvenile Art-Books,
is now ready.




























CONTENTS.


BUTTERCUPS AND DAISIES, ...

THE SWALLOW, ...

THE NETTLE-KING, .. ...

SUMMER WOODS, .. ...

THE MONTHS, ... .

THE WOOD-MOUSE, .. ....

THE MILL-STREAM, ... ...

THE HORNET, ...

THE USE OF FLOWERS, ... ... .

THE STOCK-DOVE, ...

THE OAK-TREE, ...

SUNSHINE, .

HARVEST-FIELD FLOWERS, .. ..

CEDAR-TREES, ..

THE HAREBELL, ..

THE ROSE OF MAY, ...

THE FLAX-FLOWER, ...

FLOWER COMPARISONS, ... ..

THE MANDRAKE, ... .

FLOWER-PAINTINGS, ...

THE WILD SPRING-CROCUS IN NOTTINGHAM MEADOWS,


... ... ... 20
. ... ... ... 24
24

... 28

. ... 33

... ... 37

... ... ... 40

.. ... 44

... 47

20
... ... ... 50

... ... ... 54

58

... .. ... 61

... ... ... (5

69

... ... ... 72

76

-... ... ... 80

.. ... 80

. ... 89









CONTENTS.


THE GARDEN, .

WILD FLOWERS, ...

BIRDS, ... ...

THE FLOWER-LESSON,

THE SPARROW'S NEST,

THE IVY-BUSH I, .

TIE NEST OF THE LONG-TA

SPRING, ..

REST-ARROW, ...

OLD-FASHIONED WINTER,

THE WILD FRITILLARY,

TIE SEA, ... .

MORNING THOUGHTS,

THE GIRL AND THE DOVE,

THE CUCKOO, ...

SUMMER, ... .

TIE BROOM-FLOWER,

TIHE TITMOUSE, OR BLUE-CA

CHILDHOOD, ..

LITTLE STREAMS, ...

THE PASSION-FLOWER,

THE CHILD AND THE FLOW

THE APPLE-TREE, ...

THll' POOR MAN'S GARDEN,

L'ENVOI,

NOTES,


... 94



S 104

...... 109

... ... ... ...... 117

.... 121

ILED TITMOUSE, ... ... ... ... ... 12

130

... .... 137

S ... ... ... .... 140

...... 145

... ... .. .. 148

... ... 152

155



103

... . .. ... .. 170





181

... ... 185

ERs, ... ... .. ... ... 194

...197

. 200

207

... 209


























IST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.




DRAWN BY H. GIACOMELLI;

ENGRAVED BY BERVEILLER, MEAULLE, SARGENT, ROUGET, JONNARD, WHYMPER,
AND MORISON, EXPRESSLY FOR THIS WORK.




A CLUSTER OF BUTTERCUPS AND DAISIES ............. .... .... .. .Jonnard .. .. .. .. ...... 1

THE COMING OF THE SWALLOWS .... .... .. ........E. r ilerve e.. .... .. 16

CROSSING TIE SEA. .......................... .. ...... .... .E. rveiller.......... IS

"AN OWL SAT UP IN AN OLD As-TRE .....................E. crveiller.. .. 20

" AND A RAVEN WAS PERCHED ABOVE HIS IIEAD ".................. onnard .. .... 21

SUIMMEIR WOODS............ .... .......... ouct........-- 24

"MANY A MERRY BIRD IS THERE .............................. A. A Saet ... ...... 25

TIHE FREAKISII SQUIlRRELS .......... . ........ ..... . ervUiller.. .... 2

A SNOW-SW NE........... .... .. .. .. .. IV. Whymp 28

GATHERING TIE APPLES ...... ... .............. F. M ifalle ... :1

"IT MAIKES ITS NEST OF SOFT, DRY Moss ". ............. ..........Jonnard... .. ...... 3

"UNDER A M UHROOM TALL ". .............. .. ............. .. Bcrveiller... 3

THE A ILL-STREAM .............. ............ ... ... o et.... .. .. .. 37

THIE M ILLER'S DONIEY ......t...... .. ......... ...... .RO t. ........ 3

'T E IIORNET.. ..... ...... .. .. .A. Sargent .......... 40

" SERVE HIMs RIGHT .. .............. J naT .. 4:

A PosY OF FLOWERS. ......... ............... ... A. Sargent ... 44

THE STOCK-DOVES.. ........ .......... Laly ... ..... . 47

" AMID TIE GREENWOOD ALLEYS .............. ........ ... erveiller........ .. 48










x LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.


"THE MONARCH or THE WOOD" ........ .. ............... W. IWymper......... 50

ACORNS .. ....... ........ ... ........ . .... . E. E Berveiller............ 53

A SUNNY MORNING ........................... .. .. ...JO LInard ............ 54

THE REAPERS .............. ....... ... .. ........... Rouget ................. 55

A T SEA ................... ... ............ . .. A Sargent....... ..... 56

HARVEST-FIELD FLOWERS ............ ...... ............... E. Berveiller. ..... ... 58

"THE BUGLOS BRIGITLY BLUE". ........... .. .. ..... ...... .. Berveiller ............ 59

" THE ROBIN SINGS HIS SONG "................. ..... .... .. .. ouget.... .. ...... .... 60

THE CEDAR-WOOD ..... .. ... .... J Whymper. ... 61

BY TI E BROOK ..... ......... ................. .. ...... .... .. F. M aulle ............. 63

THE I[AREBELL ........ ...... ... . .. ..... ... Berveiller ......... .. 65

" WHERE THE POOR WOUNDED HART CAME DOWN TO DRINK ".. .. .E. Berveiller ............ 66

"ALONG TILE OLD STONE BALUSTRADE ............. .... .... ... A. Sargent ............. 69

THE ROSE AND THE SWORD ........... .. ... ... ......... J IV Whymper......... 70

THE FLAX-FLOWER...... .... ...... ...... ................. IV. lW ymperT......... 72

THE M EADOW POOL...... ....... .. ...... A. Sargent ............. 75

" SWEET COUSIN BLANCHE"... ...... ... .. ............ . W. Whyinper. ....... 76

AMONG THE TOMBS............. .... ...... ............ .F. Mdaulle ............. 80

A N IGHT-PIECE ............ ....................... Jonnard............... 83

A F LOW ER-PIECE ............ ....................... ............ R ouget .................. 8

THE W ILD SPRINO-CROCUS ..... ............ ............ ..E. Berveiller............ 89

" THEY FILL EACIH LITTLE PINAFORE" ........... ..... .. .... .. .. Jonnad... .... .... 93

IN THE GARDEN .................................................... : M aulle .. ... 94

THIRSTY BIRDS .............. .... .. ...... ... .... A. Sargent..... 98

A GRouP oF W ILD FLOWERS .. ......... .................... ..... E. Berveiller ........... 99

"Go, FLORENCE, GATHER WILD FLOWERS "....................... Meaulle............. 102

" BIRDS BUILDING IN EACH HOARY TREE" ............ ............. RO l ..... ......... 104

A GROUP or BIRDS ....... . ..... . .. .. .. .. . Berveiller... .. .... 105

THE NEST.... ..... . ...... .. .. ..... .. E. Berveiller......... 107

"BIRDS ARE SINGING LOUD"......... ..... .. ............. E. Berveiller........ 108

TIHE FLOWER-LESSON ......... ................ ........ ......... A. Sargent...... .... 109

"WHERE THE SHINING LIZARD HIDETHI "......................... Berveiller. ......... 112

LEAF AND BLOSSOM ........ .. .. .. . ......... .. E. Berveiller...... .... 116

TnI' SPA nOW'S NEST..... .......... ...... R ..ouget .... ......... 117








LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. X1


FLYING HOME......................... ..............veiller ............ 120

" ow THEY WINKING SIT IN TIE IVY-TREE".....................A. Sargent.............. 121

"THE OWLS, WITH A FIERCE DELIGHT, RIOT AND FEAST, LIKE LORDS,

AT N IGHT .................. .................. .............. F. M a ll ............. 125

THE LONG-TAILED TITMICE AND THEIR NEST .......................E. Berveiller............ 126

FATIIER AND MOTHER...... ......................E. Bereiller ............ 129

" SMALL BIRDS WARBLE ROUND ABOUT ...........er.................. Berei ........... 130

WAVING BUTTERFLIES ............ .... .o... .. ................Jonard ................ 132

THE SHEPHERD AND HIS FLOCK ................ .............Jonnard .... ......... 17

FRIENDS OUT-OF-DOORS............. .................. Berveiller............ 140

"D EAD : S ". ........ .. .......................... R. ouget.................. 143

THE WILD FRITILLARY ................. ..............Jonnard....... ...... 145

" LIKE A DRAGON'S HEAD WELL-MOULDED, IS THE BUDL, SO DUSK

AND AIRY'" ....................... ...... ................E. Berveiller............ 146

A SEA-PIECE ..................................... ................ Jonnard ............. . 14

DOWN BY THE SEA ........ ... ... ... ...........A. Sargent............. 151

MORNING IN THE WOODS ..................... ...... ..R... ouget................. 152

A MORNING SONG .................................. ........... ...Jonnard .............. 153

THE GIRL AND THE DOVE............ ...... ....... ....F. Mdaulle ............. 155

"FOR NOTHING BUT LOVE IT SERVETII ME" ..................... Berveiller............ 157

" THE CUCKOO'S A-COMIN !"...... ........ ...........J. W. Wihymper......... 159

THE PLUNDERED NEST ................ ............................. Berveiller............ 162

THE BIRDS AMONG THE VINE-LEAVES.........................E. Berveiller....... 163

"TIE RICH FLOWERY GROWTH OF THE OLD PASTURE MEADOWS" ..onnard................. 104

'FALL THE FAR-GLEAMING CATARACTS, SILVERY WHITE !"......... A. Sargent.............. 165

'BRIGIIT SHINING BUTTERFLIES ................................ Jonna ............... 106

THE POOL IN TIIE GLE .......... ................ ......... TJ.. Whymper ........ 167

THE BROOM-FLOWER ............. ...........................EE.Berveiller............ 169

BLUE-CAPS UNDER THE COTTAGE-EAVES ........... ............A. Sargent.............. 170

A M ERRY TRIO .......... ... ....... .... ... .. B. Berveiller. .......... 173

THE SISTERS........... .. ........ .. .......... F. M daull ............. 175

"THE BRIGHT I[AY-HARVEST MEADOW ". ....................... ..F. Mldale............. 178

"THROUGH THE FOREST DIM AND WIDE "..........................J. i'. Whymper ... .... 181

SWIIERE THE LITTLE STREAMS ARE WELLING .................. A. Sargent.............. 182










xii LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.


" THE GOOD OLD PASSION-FLOWE ". .......... ...... ........ ar .............. 185

IN TIIE ABBEY-IGARD iEN ... .... . .. . . A Sargent .. ..... 191
THE CHILD AND TIE FLOWERS.......... .. .... .. ............F. Mdaulle.. ... .... 194

" PUT BY TIY WORK, I PRAY TITEE, AND COME OUT, MOTHER DEAR !"A. Sa(rent.... ..- 195
FLOWERS IN GO 's ACRE". .... ............... ............. Jonnard. ..... .... .. 196

" A SONG oF TIlE APPLE-TREE". ...... .... .... ... ........ nnard.. .. .......... 197
THE LIZARD AND THE APPLES ............ ...... ..........A. Sargent... ......... 199

IN THE POOR MAN'S GARDEN..... .. ......... -O t................. 200
" HE TOILETTI WITH GOOD WILL". 1...... ...... ....... ..... V. W I hyper ......... 201
'ENvoI :-FAREWELL TO THFE READER.... .... .... .. E. Berveiller...... ..... 207

THE LAST VIGNETTE. ..... ... ..... ... ... .. A. Sargent............. 208



TA IL-'IECES ENOGIAVED BY hG A IMOROISN.













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BUTTERCUPS AND DAISIES.

BUTTERCUPS and Daisies-
0 the pretty flowers I
Coming ere the spring-time,
To tell of sunny hours.
While the trees are leafless;
While the fields are bare,
Buttercups and Daisies
Spring up here and there.






BUTTERCUPS AND DAISIES.


Ere the snow-drop peepeth;
Ere the crocus bold;
Ere the early primrose
Opes its paly gold,
Somewhere on a sunny bank
Buttercups are bright;
Somewhere 'mong the frozen grass
Peeps the Daisy white.


Little hardy flowers,
Like to children poor
Playing in their sturdy health
By their mother's door:
Purple with the north wind,
Yet alert and bold;
Fearing not and hearing not,
Though they be a-cold


What to them is weather
What are stormy showers !
Buttercups and Daisies
Are these human flowers !
He who gave them hardship
And a life of care,







BUTTERCUPS AND DAISIES.


Gave them likewise hardy strength,
And patient hearts to bear.


Welcome, yellow Buttercups'
Welcome, Daisies white!
Ye are in my spirit
Visioned, a delight!
Coming ere the spring-time,
Of sunny hours to tell-
Speaking to our hearts of Him
Who doeth all things well.










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1'111 SW\\LL W









N i; 1 ,.,i i i ,,i ., i t S .,.i. ... .

Not in England last thou tarried;

Many a day,

Far away,

Has thy wing been wearied,


_r
__
---r






THE SWALLOW.


Over continent and isle,
Many and many and many a mile 1
Tell me, prithee, bird, the story
Of thy six months migratory !


If thou wert a human traveller,
We a quarto book should see;
Thou wouldst be the sage unraveller
Of some dark, old mystery;
Thou wouldst tell the wise men, Swallow,
Of the rivers' hidden fountains;
Plain and glen,
And savage men,
And Afflhans of the mountains;
Creatures, plants, and men unknown,
And cities in the deserts lone:
Thou wouldst be, thou far-land dweller,
Like an Arab story-teller I


Was it in a temple, Swallow;
In some Moorish minaret;
In some cavern's gloomy hollow,
Where the lion and serpent met,
That thy nest was builded, Swallow ?






THE SWALLOW.


Did the Negro people meet thee
With a word
Of welcome, bird,
Kind as that with which we greet thee ?
Prithee tell me how and where
Thou wast guided through the air;
Prithee cease thy building-labour,
And tell o'er thy travels, neighbour !


Thou hast been among the Kaffirs;
Seen the Bushman's stealthy arm;
Thou hast heard the lowing heifers
On some good Herrnhuter's farm;


r~~







THE SWALLOW.


Seen the gold-dust-finder, Swallow,
Heard the lion-hunter's Holla !
Peace and strife,
And much of life,
Hast thou witnessed, wandering Swallow.
Tell but this,-we'll leave the rest,-
Which is wisest, which is best;
Tell which happiest, if thou can,
Hottentot or Englishman ?-
Nought for answer can we get,
Save Twitter, twitter, twitter, twet'









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THE NETTLE-K1IN..


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THE NETTLE-KING.


It was in a wood both drear and dank,
Where grew the Nettle so broad and rank;
And an owl sat up in an old ash-tree
That was wasting away so silently;
And a raven was perched above his head,
And both of them heard what the Nettle-king said;


And there was a toad that sat below,
('. i1n, his venom sedate and slow,
And he heard the words of the Nettle also.


The Nettle he throve, and the Nettle he grew,
And the strength of the earth around him drew:







THE NETTLE-KING.


There was a pale stellaria meek,
But as he grew strong, so she grew weak;
There was a campion, crimson-eyed,
But as lie grew up, the campion died;
And the blue veronica, shut from light,
Faded away in a sickly white;
For upon his leaves a dew was hung,
That fell like a blight from a serpent's tongue,-
Nor was there a flower about the spot,
Herb-robert, harebell, or forget-me-not.
Yet up grew the Nettle like water-sedge,
Higher and higher above the hedge;
The stuff of his leaves was strong and stout,
And the points of his stinging flowers stood out;
And the child that went in the wood to play,
From the great King nettle would shrink
away!


"Now," says the Nettle, there's none like me !
I am as great as a plant can be !
I have crushed each weak and tender root,
With the mighty force of my kingly foot;
I have spread out my arms so strong and wide,
And opened my way on every side;







TIE NETTLE-KING.


I have drawn from the earth its virtues fine,
To strengthen for me each poison-spine:
Both morn and night my leaves I've spread,
And upon the falling dews have fed,
Till I am as large as a forest-tree;
The great wide world is the place for me !"
Said the Nettle-king in his bravery.


Just then came up a woodman stout,-
In the thick of the wood lie was peering about;
The Nettle looked up, the Nettle looked down,
And graciously smiled on the simple clown:
"Thou knowest me well, Sir ('CI.v. i," said he,
"And 'tis meet that thou reverence one like me "
Nothing at all the man replied,
But he lifted a scythe that was at his side,
And le cut the Nettle up by the root,
And trampled it under his heavy foot;
He saw where the toad in its shadow lay,
But he said not a word, and went his way.




























s iTI11E: 1 i IIi's


S.. *'1 1 , .il. .I.. I *,, .....


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T rTh e-, li l ley -\ I .] i ,ne ,. _.1 I ,l s,

The honeysuckles twine;








SUMMER WOODS.


There blooms the rose-red campion,
And the dark blue columbine.



There grows the four-leaved plant, true
love,"
In some dusk woodland spot;
There grows the enchanter's night-shade,
And the wood forget-me-not.



And many a merry bird is there,
Unscared by lawless men:
The blue-winged jay, the woodpecker,
And the golden-crested wren.


Come down, and ye shall see them all,
The timid and the bold;
For their sweet life of pleasantness,
It is not to be told.


And far within that summer wood,
Among the leaves so green,
There flows a little gurgling brook,
The brightest e'er was seen.


2
'' s







SUMMER WOODS.


There come the little gentle birds,
Without a fear of ill,
Down to the murmuring water's edge
And freely drink their fill!


And dash about and splash about-
The merry little things;
And look askance with bright black eyes,
And flirt their dripping wings.











I've seen the freakish squirrels drop
Down from their leafy tree,
The little squirrels with the old,
Great joy it was to me


And down unto the running brook,
I've seen them nimbly go;
And the bright water seemed to speak
A welcome kind and low.








SUMMER WOODS.


The nodding plants they bowed their heads,
As if, in heartsome cheer,
They spake unto those little things,
"'Tis merry living here !"


Oh, how my heart ran o'er with joy !
I saw that all was good,
And that we might glean up delight
All round us, if we would !


And many a wood-mouse dwelleth there,
Beneath the old wood shade,
And all day long has work to do,
Nor is of aught afraid.


The green shoots grow above their heads,
And roots so fresh and fine
Beneath their feet; nor is there strife
'Mong them for mine and thzne.


There is enough for every one,
And they lovingly agree;
We might learn a lesson, all of us,
Beneath the greenwood tree !












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S" TH E M' 'NTlTS


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With chill damp earth and dripping sky;








THE MONTHS.


But, heart, cheer up; the days speed on;
Winds blow, suns shine, and thaws are gone;
And in the garden may be seen
Upspringing flowers and buddings green.



Marchl-ha i he comes like March of old,
A blustering, cordial friend and bold I
He calls the peasant to his toil,
And trims with him the wholesome soil.
Flocks multiply, the seed is sown,
Its increase is of Heaven alone !



Next, April comes with shine and showers,
Green mantling leaves and opening :1.. I ,
Loud singing birds, low humming bees,
And the white-blossomed orchard trees;
And that which busy March did sow
Begins in April's warmth to grow.



The winter now is gone and past,
And flowery May advances fast;
Birds sing, rains fall, and sunshine glows,
Till the rich earth with joy o'erflows !






THE MONTHS.


O Lord, who hast so crowned the spring,
We bless Thee for each gracious thing!



Come on, come on! 'tis summer-time,
The golden year is in its prime !
June speeds along 'midst flowers and dews,
Rainbows, clear skies, and sunset hues;
And hark the cuckoo and the blithe
Low ringing of the early scythe


The year is full! 'tis bright July,
And God in thunder passeth by '
Far in the fields till close of day
The peasant people make the hay;
And darker grows the forest bough,
And singing birds are silent now.



Next, August comes I Now look around,
The harvest-fields are golden-crowned;
And sturdy reapers bending, go,
With scythe or sickle, all a-row;
And gleaners with their burdens boon
Come home beneath the harvest-moon.







THE MONTHS.


September, rich in corn and wine,
Of the twelve months completeth nine.
Now apples rosy grow, and seed
Ripens in tree and flower and weed;
Now the green acorn growth brown,
And ruddy nuts come showering down.



The summer-time is ended now,
And autumn tinteth every bough;
The days are bright, the air is still,
October's mists are on the hill;
Down droops the fern, and fades the heather,
And thistle-down floats like a feather.



Dark on the earth November lies;
Cloud, fog, and storm o'ergloom the skies;
The matted leaves lie neathh our tread,
And hollow winds wail overhead;
Pile up the hearth,-its heartsome blaze
Cheers, like a sun, the darkest days !



The year it growth old apace:
Eleven months have run their race,







THE MONTHS.

And dull December brings to earth
That time which gave our Saviour birth.
The year is done !-Let all revere
The great, good Father of the year










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,: And it is small and slim,
It leads a life most innocent
Within the forest dim.
',2 3


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THE WOOD-MOUSE,


'Tis a timid, gentle creature,
And seldom comes in sight;
It has a long and wiry tail,
And eyes both black and bright.


It makes its nest of soft, dry moss,
In a hole so deep and strong;
And there it sleeps secure and warm,
The dreary winter long.


And though it keeps no calendar,
It knows when flowers are springing;
And waketh to its summer life
When nightingales are singing.


Upon the boughs the squirrel sits,
The Wood-mouse plays below;
And plenty of food it finds itself
Where the beech and chestnut grow.


In the hedge-sparrow's nest it sits,
When the summer brood is fled,
And picks the berries from the bough
Of the hawthorn overhead.








THE WOO)D-MOUSE.


I saw a little Wood-mouse once,
Like Oberon in his hall,
With the green, green moss beneath lis feet,
Sit under a mushroom tall.







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I saw him sit and his dinner eat,
All under the forest tree-

His dinner of chestnut ripe and rod,
And lie ate it heartily.


I wish you could have seen him there:
It did my spirit good,
To see the small thing God lad made

Thus eating in the wood.







THE WOOD-MOUSE.


I saw that He regardeth them,

Those creatures weak and small;

Their table in the wild is spread

By Him who cares for all!
















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THE MILL-STREAM.


The wild Mill-stream it leapeth
In merriment away,
And keeps the miller and his son
Right busy all the day !



Into the mad Mill-stream
The mountain-roses fall;
And fern and adder's-tongue
Grow on the old mill wall.
The tarn is on the upland moor,
Where not a leaf doth grow ;
And through the mountain-gashes
The merry Mill-stream dashes
Down to the sea below.
But, in the quiet hollows,
The red trout growth prime,
And the miller and the miller's son
They angle when they've time.



Then fair befall the stream
That turns the mountain-mill;
And fair befall the narrow road
That windeth up the hill !








THE MILL-STREAL. 39

And good luck to the countryman,
And to his old gray mare,
That upward toileth steadily,
With meal-sacks laden heavily,
In storm as well as fair '
And good luck to the miller,
And to the miller's son;
And ever may the mill-wheel turn
whilee mountain-waters run '















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STHE HORNET.


So, there at last I've found you, my famous old

fellow !

Ay, and mighty grand besides, in your suit of

red and yellow!

I often have heard talk of you, but ne'er sa w






net-castle door!


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TIE HORNET.


Well, what a size you are : just like a great wasp-king !
What a solemn buzz you make, now you're upon the wing I
I'm sure I do not wonder that people fear your sting I
So : so --Don't be so angry Why do you come at me
With a swoop and with a hum,--is't a crime to look at ye
See where the testy fellow goes whiz into the hole,
And brings out from the hollow tree his fellows in a shoal.
Hark what an awful, hollow boom How fierce they come
I'd rather
Just quietly step back, and stand from them a little further.
There, now, the Hornet-host is retreating to its den,
And so, good Mr. Sentinel-lo here I am again
Well! how the little angry wretch doth stamp and raise his
head,
And flirt his wings, and seem to say, "Come here-I'll sting
you dead "
No, thank you, fierce Sir Hornet,-that's not at all inviting:-
But what a pair of shears the fellow has for biting '
What a pair of monstrous shears to carry at his lead !
If wasp or fly come in their gripe, that moment lie is dead :
There bite in two the whip-lash, as we poke it at your chin!
See, how he bites I but it is tough, and again lie hurries in.
Ho I o o we soon shall have the whole vindictive race,
With a hurry and a scurry, all flying in our face.








THE HORNET.


To potter in a Hornet's nest, is a proverb old and good,
So it's just as well to take the hint, and retreat into the
wood.
Now here behind this hazel-bush we safely may look out,
And see what all the colony of Hornets is about.
Why, what a furious troop it is, how fierce they seem to be,
As they fly now in the sunshine, now in shadow of the
tree I
And yet they're noble insects their bodies red and yellow,
And large almost as little birds, how richly toned and
mellow.
And these old woods, so full of trees, all hollow and decayed,
Must be a perfect paradise, for the Hornet legions made.
Secure from village lads, and from gardeners' watchful eyes,
They may build their paper-nests, and issue for supplies
To orchards or to gardens, for plum, and peach, and pear,-
With wasp, fly, ant, and earwig, they'll have a giant's share.
And you, stout Mr. Sentinel, there standing at the door,
Though Homer said in his time, The Hornet's soul all
o'er,-
You're not so very spiritual, but soon some sunny morning
I may find you in a green-gage, and give you little warning;
Or feeding in a Windsor pear; or at the juicy stalk
Of my negro-boy, grand dahlia,-too heavy much to walk;







THE HORNET.


Ay, very much too heavy,--that juicy stem deceives,-

" Makes faint with too much sweet such heavy-winged thieves."

Too heavy much to walk,-then, pray, how can you fly ?

No, there you'll drop upon the ground, and there you're doomed

to die !

W. lL











,_4t~~ :)I


'I'lllE I.E OF FLOWERS.


I ;', i ,, _[ I I ve bade the earth bring forth
E...... t. !.r great and small,

The oak-tree and the cedar-tree,
Without a flower at all.


We might have had enough, enough
For every want of ours,
For luxury, medicine, and for toil,
And yet have had no I -...







THE USE OF FLO\VERS.


The ore within the mountain mine
Requireth none to grow;
Nor doth it need the 1..l ..- ..-.. '
To make the river flow.


The clouds might give abundant rain;
The nightly dews might fall,
And the herb that keepeth life in man
Might yet have drank them all.


Then wherefore, wherefore were they made,
All dyed with rainbow light,
All fashioned with supremest grace,
Upspringing day and night:-


Springing in valleys green and low,
And on the mountains high,
And in the silent wilderness
Where no man passes by ?


Our outward life requires them not-
Then wherefore had they birth ?
To minister delight to man,
To beautify the earth;







THE USE OF FLOWERS.


To comfort mani-to whisper hope,
Whene'er his faith is dim;
For who so careth for the t!i ...
Will much more care for him.
















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THE STOCK-DOVE.

" TELL me, Stock-dove, wherefore thou art

moaning ever,

Filling all the greenwood with thy

plaint of woe ? "
" I moan not," says the Stock-dove ; I praise

the great, good Giver

Of life and love and sunshine in the best

way that I know.


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>1 .







TIE STOCK-DOVE.


" I learned my note in Eden, when young was all creation,
When wandered sinless Adam beneath those bless1h bowers
When the morning stars thrilled heaven with shouts of exultation,

And the joyous Earth was radiant with a rainbow-zone of
] i -
















And, with my mate beside me, amid the greenwood alle
praised God as He tau wit a cooing on oflove.
\. "-. ._ .'
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" Thelcn all the birds made vocal the new-born hlills and valleys,
And twittered alleluias were heard in every grove;

And, with my mate beside me, amid the greenwood alleys,
I praised God as He taught me, with a cooing song of love.






THE STOCK-DOVE.


" We did not make our singing, nor one despise the other

Because his part was humbler or different to his own;

God was the loving Father, and every bird a brother,

And all strove in glad chorus to make His goodness known.


'And if I seem to murmur and moan in endless grieving,

'Tis thou who hast mistaken the meaning of my la ;

I moan not, neither murmur, but coo forth sweet thanksgiving
To that good, loving Father who feeds us day by day."











*** <"' --


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THE OAK-TREE.

SING for the Oak-tree,
The monarch of the wood;
Sing for the Oak-tree,
That growth green and good:
That growth broad and branching
Within the forest shade;
That growth now, and yet shall grow
When we are lowly laid !







THE OAK-TREE.


The Oak-tree was an acorn once,
And fell upon the earth;
And sun and showers nourished it,
And gave the Oak-tree birth.
The little sprouting Oak-tree !
Two leaves it had at first,
Till sun and showers had nourished it,
Then out the branches burst.


The little sapling Oak-tree 1
Its root was like a thread,
Till the kindly earth had nourished it,
Then out it freely spread:
On this side and on that side
It grappled with the ground;
And in the ancient, rifted rock
Its firmest footing found.


The winds came, and the rain fell;
The gusty tempests blew;
All, all were friends to the Oak-tree,
And stronger yet it grew.
The boy that saw the acorn fall,
He feeble grew and gray;








THE OAK-TREE.


But the Oak was still a thriving tree,
And strengthened every day !



For centuries grows the Oak-tree,
Nor doth its verdure fail;
Its heart is like the iron-wood,
Its bark like plated mail.
Now, cut us down the Oak-tree,
The monarch of the wood;
And of its timber stout and strong
We'll build a vessel good !



The Oak-tree of the forest
Both east and west shall fly;
And the blessings of a thousand lands
Upon our ship shall lie !
She shall not be a man-of-w-ar,
Nor a pirate shall she be;-
But a noble, (',-ii .I merchant-ship,
To sail upon the sea.



Then sing for the Oak-tree,
1'i. monarch of the wood!







THE OAK-TREE.


Sing for the Oak-tree,
That growth green and good !
That growth broad and branching
Within the forest shade ;
That growth now, and yet shall grow
When we are lowly laid














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SUNSHINE.


I love it when it streameth in
The humble cottage door,
And casts the chequered casement shade
Upon the red-brick floor.














I love it when the children lie
Deep in the clovery grass,
To watch among the twiining roots
The gold-green beetles pass.


T love it on the breezy sea,
To glance on sail and oar,
While the great waves, like molten glass,
Come leaping to the shore.


1 love it on the mountain-tops,
Where rests the thawless snow,








SUNSHINE.


And half a kingdom, bathed in light,
Lies stretching out below.









= -9 _. -' .'- ^ --













And when it shines in forest-glades,

Hidden, and green, and cool,
Through mossy boughs and veined leaves,

How is it beautiful


How beautiful on little streams,

When sun and shade, at play,
Make silvery meshes, while the brook

Goes singing on its way.








SUNSHINE.


How beautiful, where lI ,..,'-! !i -
Are wondrous to behold,
With rainbow wings of gauzy pearl,
And bodies blue and gold I


How beautiful, on harvest slopes,
To see the sunshine lie;
Or on the paler reaped fields,
Where yellow shocks stand high !


Oh yes I love the sunshine !
Like kindness or like mirth
Upon a human countenance,
Is sunshine on the earth !


Upon the earth ; upon the sea;
And through the crystal air;

On piled-up cloud ;-the gracious sun
Is glorious everywhere !












































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HARVEST-FIELD FLOWERS. "


COME down into the harvest-fields

This autumn morn with me;

For in the pleasant autumn i. Ii. -

There's much to hear and see.

On yellow slopes of waving corn

The autumn sun shines clearly;

And 'tis joy to walk, on days like this,

Among the bearded barley.


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IARVEST-FIELD FLOWERS.


Within the sunny harvest-fields
We'll gather il .... enow;
The poppy red, the marigold,
The bnglos brightly blue;
We'll gather the white convolvulus,
That opes in the morning early;
With a cluster of nuts, an ear of
wheat,
And an ear of the bearded barley.


Bright over the golden fields of corn
Doth shine the autumn sky;
So let's be merry while we may,
For Time goes hurrying by.
They took the sickle from the wall
When morning dews shone pearly;
And the mower whets the ringing
scythe
To cut the bearded barley.


Come then into the harvest-fields;
The robin sings his song;
The corn stands yellow on the hills,
And autumn stays not long.


Sit


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60 HARVEST-FIELD FLOWERS.

They'll carry the sheaves of corn away

They gathered to-day so early,
Along the lanes with a rustling sound,
Their loads of the bearded barley !



















l- : -T I E. T


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, F] ,\] -Till'1


; lTHE Power that formed lte iolet,
The all-creating One;
He made the stately Cedar-trees
That crowned Mount Lebanon.


And all within the garden
That angels came to see,
He set in groves and on the hills
The goodly Cedar-tree.







CEDAR-TREES.


There played the gladsome creatures,
Beneath its shadow dim;
And from its spreading leafy boughs
Went up the wild '.it.1 hymn.


And Eve in her young innocence
Delayed her footsteps there;
And Adam's heart grew warm with praise
To see a tree so fair.


And though the world was darkened
With the shade of human ill,
And man was cast from Paradise,
Yet wast thou goodly still.


And when an ancient poet
Some lofty theme would sing,
He made the Cedar symbol forth
Each great and gracious thing.


And royal was the Cedar,
Above all other trees !
They chose of old its scented wood
For kingly palaces.






CEDAR-TREES.


And in the halls of princes,
And on the Phoenix-pyre,
'Twas only noble Cedar-wood
Could feed the odorous fire.


In the Temple of Jerusalem,
That glorious Temple old,
They only found the Cedar-wood
To match with carved gold.


$ ,'g .







CEDAR-TREES.


Thou great and noble Solomon
What king was e'er like thee
Thou, 'mid the princes of the earth
Wast like a Cedar-tree


But the glory of the Cedar-tree
Is as an old renown ;
And few and dwindled grow they now
Upon MIount Lebanon.


But dear they are to poet's heart,
And dear to painter's eye:
And the beauty of the Cedar-tree
On earth will never die !









..'_ -



















-..


-I


THE HAREBELL.


(CAMPANULA ROTUNDIFOLIA.)


IT springeth on the heath,

The forest-tree beneath,

Like to some elfin dweller of the wild;

Light as a breeze astir,

Stemmed with the gossamer;

Soft as the blue eyes of a poet's child.


:-*-i--







THE IIAREBELL.


The very -.. i to take
Into the heart, and make
The cherished memory of all pleasant places;
Name but the light Harebell,
And straight is pictured well
Where'er of fallen state lie lonely traces.



















We vision wild sea-rocks,
Where hang its clustering locks,
Waving at dizzy height o'er ocean's brink:
The hermit's lonesome cell;
The forest's sylvan well,
Where the poor wounded hart came down
to drink.






THE HAREBELL.


We vision moors far spread,
Where blooms the heather red,
And hunters with their dogs lie down at noon.
Lone shepherd-boys, who keep
On mountain-sides their sheep,
Cheating the time with flowers and fancies boon.


Old slopes of pasture ground;
Old fosse, and moat, and mound,
Where the mailed warrior and crusader came
Old walls of crumbling stone,
Where trails the snap-dragon;
Rise at the mention of the Harebell's name.


We see the sere turf brown,
And the dry yarrow's crown
Scarce raising from the stem its thick-set 1 .
The pale hawkweed we see,
The blue-flowered chiccory,
And the strong ivy-growth o'er crumbling towers.


Light Harebell, there thou art,
Making a lovely part
Of the old splendour of the days gone by :






THE HAREBELL.


Waving, if but a breeze
Pant through the chestnut-trees,
That on the hill-top grow, broad-branched and high.


Oh, when I look on thee,
In thy fair symmetry,
And look on other :1.. .. i -. as fair beside,
My sense is gratitude,
That God has been thus good,
To scatter flowers, like common blessings, wide !














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To hang o'er marble founts, and shine

In modern gardens trim and fine;


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THE ROSE OF MAY.


But the Rose of May is only seen
Where the great of other days have been.


Thle house is mouldering stone by stone,
The garden-walks are overgrown;
The -1..- i. are low, the weeds are high,
The fountain-stream is choked and dry;
The dial-stone with moss is green,
Where'er the Rose of May is seen.













_- _





The Rose of May its pride displayed
Along the old stone balustrade ;
And ancient ladies, quaintly dight,
In its pink blossoms took delight,








THE ROSE OF MAY.


And on the steps would make a stand,
To scent its sweetness, fan in hand.


Long have been dead those ladies gay;
Their very heirs have passed away;
And their old portraits, print and tall,
Are mouldering in the mouldering hall;
The terrace and the balustrade
Lie broken, weedy, and decayed.


But, lithe and tall, the Rose of May
i!..... I upward through the ruin gray,
With scented flower, and leaf pale green,
Such rose as it hath ever been;
Left, like a noble deed, to grace
The memory of an ancient race.

















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THE FLAX-FLOWER.


A goodly little thing it is I
It growth for the poor,
And many a peasant blesses it,
Beside his cottage door.
He thinketh how those slender stems,
That simmer in the sun,
Are rich for him in web and woof,
And shortly shall be spun.
He thinketh how those tender flowers,
Of seed will yield him store:
And sees in thought his next year's
crop
Blue shining round his door.


The little, useful Flax-flower '
The mother, then says she,-
"Go pull the thyme, the heath, the fern,
But let the Flax-fl...-.. .' be !
It growth for the children's sake,
It growth for our own;
There are flowers enough upon the hill,
But leave the Flax alone !
The farmer hath his fields of wheat,
Much cometh to his share;







THE FLAX-FLOWER.


We have this little plot of Flax,
That we have tilled with care.


SOur squire he hath the holt and hill,
Great halls and noble rent;
We only have the Flax-field,
Yet therewith are content,
We watch it morn, we watch it night,
And when the stars are out,
The good-man and the little ones,
They pace it round about;
For it we wish the sun to shine,
For it the rain to fall
Good lack for who is poor doth make
Great count of what is small "


The goodly, kindly F: :.-!i.--,
It growth on the hill,
And be the breeze awake or sleep,
It never standcth still'.
It secmeth all astir with life,
As if it loved to thrive;
As if it had a merry heart
Within its stem alive '









THE FLAX-FLOVWER


Then fair befall the Flax-field !

And may the fruitful showers

Give strength unto its shining stem,

Give seed l unto its :..


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-145'~3~













AP -ik
- .-- -.:-


FLOWER COMPARISONS.


SAH, sweet cousin Blanche, let's see

- What's the t..-. i resembling thee

With those dove-like eyes of thine,

SAnd thy fair hair's silken twine;

S With thy low, broad forehead, white

As marble, and as purely bright;

With thy mouth so calm and sweet,

And thy dainty hands and feet;

What's the H..--. I most like thee ?


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FLOWER COMPARISONS.


Blossom of the orange-tree 1


Where may the bright flower be met
That can match with Margaret,-
Margaret, stately, staid, and good,
Growing up to womanhood;
Loving, thoughtful, wise, and kind.
Pure in heart and strong in mind ?
Eyes deep blue as is the sky
When the full moon sails on higli
Eyebrow true and forehead fair,
And dark, richly-braided hair,
And a queenly head well set,
Crown my maiden Margaret.
Where's the flower that thou canst
find
Match for her in form and mind ?


Fair white lilies, having birth
In their native genial earth;-
These, in scent and queenly grace,
Match thy maiden's form and face'


Now for madcap Isabel-







FLOWER COMPARISONS.


What shall suit her, prithee tell ?
Isabel is brown and wild;
Will be evermore a child;
Is all laughter, all vagary,
Has the spirit of a fairy.
Are you grave ?-The gipsy sly
Turns on you her merry eye,
And you laugh, despite your will.
Isabel is never still,
Always doing, never done,
Be it mischief, work, or fim.
Isabel is short and brown,
Soft to touch as eider-down;
Tempered like the balmy south,
With a rosy, laughing mouth ;
Cheeks just tinged with peachy red,
And a graceful Hebe head;
Hair put up in some wild way,
Decked with a hedge-rose's spray.
Now, where is the bud or bell
That may match with Isabel ?


Streaky tulip, jet and gold,
Dearly priced whenever sold:






FLOWER COMPARISONS.


Rich in colour, low and sweet,
This for Isabel is meet.


Last for Jeanie, grave and mild---
Jeanie never was a child !
Sitting on her mother's knee,
Hers was thoughtful infancy;
Growing up so meek and good,
Even from her babyhood.
All her mother's labour sharing;
For the house and children caring;
To her bed in silence creeping;
Rising early, little sleeping;
Learning soon of care and need;
Learning late to write and read :
To all hardships reconciled,
For she was a poor man's child !
What's the lowly t .. -. of earth
Match for Jeanie's humble worth ?


Soon poor Jeanie's flower is met-
The meek, precious violet











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Its stately walks n
-'I And there, in its drie
The dark green poi


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rere trodden by few;
st and deepest mould,
sonous Mandrake grew.


That garden's lord was a learned man,-
It is of an ancient time we tell,-
He was grim and stern, with a visage wan,
And had books which only lie could spell.







THE MANDRAKE.


He had been a monk in his younger days,
They said, and travelled by land and sea;
And now, in his old, ancestral place,
He was come to study in privacy.


A garden it was both large and lone,
And in it was temple, cave, and mound;
The trees were with ivy overgrown,
And the depth of its lake no line had found.


Some said that the springs of the lake lay deep
Under the fierce volcano's root;
For the water would ofttimes curl and leap
When the summer air was calm and mute.


And all along o'er its margin dank
Hung massy branches of evergreen;
And among the pebbles upon the bank
The playful water-snakes were seen.


And yew-trees old, in the alleys dim,
Were cut into dragon shapes of dread;
And in midst of shadow, grotesque and grim,
Stood goat-limbed statues of sullen lead.
(*-) C0







THE MANDRAKE.


The garden beds they were long, and all
With a tangle of -;,- -, were overgrown;
And each was screened with an ancient wall,

Or parapet low of mossAy stone.


And from every crevice and broken ledge
The harebell blue and wei I! ., sprung;
And from the wall to the water's edge
Wild masses of tendrilled creepers hung;


For there was a moat outside, where slept
Deep waters, with slimy moss grown o'er;
And a wall and a tower securely kept
By a ban-dog fierce at a grated door.


This garden's lord was a scholar wise-
A scholar wise, with a learned look;
He studied by night the starry skies,
And all dav long some ancient book.


There were lords hard by who lived by spoil,
But lie did the men of war eschew;
There were relowly serfs who tilled the soil,
But witli toiling serfs lie had nought to do.







TIE MANDRAKE.


lut now and then might with him be seen

Two other old men with look profound,

Who peered 'mid the leaves of the M;andrake

green,

And lightened with care the soil around.










i-^----

". .


For the king was sick, and of help had need;

Or he had a foe whom art must quell,

So lie sent to the learned man with speed

To gather for him a Mandrake spell.







THE MANDRAKE.


And at night, when the moon was at the hfll,
When the air was still and the stars were out,
Came the three the Mandrake root to pull,
With the help of the ban-dog fierce and stout.


Oh, the Mandrake root I and they listened, all three,
For awful sounds, and they spoke no word;
And when the owl screeched from the hollow tree,
They said 'twas the Mandrake's groan they heard.


And words they muttered, but t at none knew,
With motion slow of hand and foot;
Then into the cave the three withdrew,
And carried w ith them the -landrake root.


They were all scholars of high degree,
So they took the root of the M~andrake fell,
And cut and carved it hideously,
And muttered it into a magic spell.


Then who had been there by dawn of day,
Might have seen the two from the grated door
Speed forth; and as sure as they went away,
The magic Mandrake root they bore.








THE MANDRAKE. S,

And the old lord up in his chamber sat,
Blessing himself, sedate and mute,
That lie thus could gift the wise and great
With more than gold-tlhe Mandrake root.














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I LOVE those pictures that we see
At times in some old gallery,
Hung amid armed men of old,
And antique ladies quaint and cold;

'Mong furious battle-pieees, dire
With agony, and blood, and fire;-

Flower-pictures, painted long ago,
Though worn and old, and dimmed of glow,
I love them, although art may deem
Such pictures but of light esteem.







FLOWER-PAINTINGS.


There are the red rose and the white,
And stems of lilies strong and bright;
The leaf and tendril of the vine;
The iris and the columbine;
The streaky tulip, gold and jet;
The amaranth and violet;
There is the bright ;. ii;1 ; the trail
Of bind-weed, chalice-like and pale;
The crumpled poppy, brave and bold;
The pea; the pink; the marigold.




There are they grouped, in form and hue,
Flower, bud, and leaf to nature true !
Yes, although slighted and forlorn,
And oft the mark of modern scorn,
I love such pictures, and mine eye
With cold regard ne'er passed them by.
I love them most, that they present
Some pious, antique sentiment:
The Virgin-Mother, young and mild;
The cradle of the Holy Child;
Or, 'mid a visioned glory faint,
The meek brow of some martyred saint;







FLOWER-PAINTINGS.


And with their painters I can find

A kindred sympathy of mind.


Flowers are around me bright of hue,

The quaint old favourites and the new,

In form and colour infinite,

Each one a creature of delight.

But with this fair array is brought

Full many a deep and holy thought,

For garden-beds to me, and bowers,

Like the old pictures of the :1 .-. -

Within their bloomy depths enshrine

A hymn of i. a thought divine I







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THE WILD SPRING-CROCUS.


Through merry England you might ride,-
Through all its length from side to side,-
Through fifty counties, nor have spied
This il..-.i-,. so passing fair.




But in these meadows it is growing.
And now it is the early spring;
And see from out the kindly earth
How thousand thousands issue forth '
As if it gloried to give birth
To such a lovely thing.




Like lilac-flame its colour glows,
Tender, and yet so clearly bright.
That all for miles and miles about
The splendid meadow shineth out;
And far-off village children shout
To see the welcome sight.




I love the odorous hawti.......-. i
I love the wilding's bloom to see;







THE WILD SPRING-CROCUS.


I love the light anemones,
That tremble to the faintest breeze;
And hyacinth-like orchises
Are very dear to me '




The star-wort is a fair -i..
The violet is a thing to prize;
The wild-pink on the craggy ledge;
The waving sword-like water-sedge,
And e'en the Robin-run-i'-th'-hedgo,
Are precious in mine eyes.




Yes, yes, I love them all, bright things !
But then, such glorious flowers as these
Are dearer still. I'll tell you why:
There's joy in many and many an eye
When first goes forth the welcome cry
Of-" Lo, the Crocuses I"




Then little toiling children leave
Their care, and here by thousands throng,






THE WILD SPRING-CROCUS.


And through the shining meadow run,
And gather them; not one by one,
But by grasped handfuls, where are none
To say that they do wrong.




They run, they leap, they shout for joy;
They bring their infant brethren here;
They fill each little pinafore;
They bear their baskets brimming o'er,
Within their very hearts they store
This first joy of the year.




Yes, joy in these abundant meadows
Pours out like to the earth's o' !. ;;
And, less that they are beautiful
Than that they are so plentiful,
So free for every child to pull,
I love to see them growing.




And here, in our own fields they grow-
An English flower, but very rare;








THE WILD SPRING-CROCUS.


Through all the kingdom you may ride,-

O'er marshy flat, on mountain-side,-

Nor ever see, outstretching wide,

Such flowery meadows fair I


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THE GARDEN.


I UAD a Garden wheu a child;
I kept it all in order '

'Twas full of flowers as it could 1,e,

And London-pride was its border.


And soon as came the pleasant spring,

The singing-birds built in it,-

The blackbird and the throstle-cock,

The woodlark and the linnet.


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THE GARDEN.


And all within my Garden ran
A labyrinth-walk so mazy;
In the middle there grew a yellow rose,
At each end a Michaelmas-daisy.


I had a bush of southern-wood,
And two of bright mezereon;
A peony root, a snow-white phlox,
And a plant of red valerian;


A lilac-tree, and a guelder-rose;
A broom, and a tiger-lily;
And I walked a dozen miles to find
The true wild daffodilly.


1 had columbines, both pink and blue,
And thalictrum like a feather;
And the bright goat's-beard, that shuts its leaves
Before a change of weather.


I had marigolds, and l!! ii.. i .,,
And pinks all pinks exceeding;
I'd a noble root of love-in-a-mist,
And plenty of love-lies-bleeding.





THE GARDEN.


I had Jacob's ladder, Aaron's rod,
And the peacock-gentianella;
1 had asters, more than I can tell,
And lupins blue and yellow.


I set a grain of Indian corn,
One day in an idle humour,
And the grain sprung up six feet or more,
My glory for a summer.


I found far off in the pleasant fields,
More flowers than I can mention
I found the English asphodel,
And the spring and autumn gentian.


I found the orchis, fly and bee,
And the cistus of the mountain;
The money-wort, and the green hart's-tongue,
Beside an old wood fountain.


I found, within another wood,
The rare pyrola blowing;
For wherever there was a curious :1..
I was sure to find it growing.







THE GARDEN.


I set them in my Garden beds,
Those beds I loved so dearly,
Where I laboured after set of sun,
And in summer mornings eariv.


Oh 1 my pleasant Garden-plot'-
A shrubbery was beside it,
And an old and mossy apple-tree,
With a woodbine wreathed to hide it.


There was a bower in my Garden-plot,
A spinea grew before it;
Behind it was a laburnum-tree
And a wild hop clambered o'er it.


Ofttimes I sat within my bower,
Like a king in all his glory;
Ofttimes I read, and read for hours,
Some pleasant, wondrous story.


I read of Gardens in old times,-
Old stately Gardens, kingly,
Where people walked in gorgeous crowds,
Or, for silent musing, singly.
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THE GARDEN.


I raised up visions in my brain,

The noblest and the fairest;

But still I loved my Garden best,

And thought it far the rarest.


And all amongst my :.. .. -, I walked,

Like a miser 'midst his treasure:

For that pleasant plot of Garden ground

Was a world of endless pleasure.


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To gladden hearts like thine :







WILD FLOWERS.


But lately and the earth was cold,-
Brown and bare as it could be,---
Not an orchis to be seen;
Not a hooded arum green;
Not a ficary !



Lately even the primroses,
Each one like a gentle star,
King-cups like to flowers of gold,
Daisies white, a thousandfold,
Were not-no-w they are :



Could the wealth of London town
Have been given three months ago,
To call these several wild ,I.. .. forth,
And o'er the bosom of the earth
To cast this glorious show,



The wealth of London had been vain.-
Look round about and see them now :
In wood and waste, on hill and plain,
On the green banks of every lane;
On every hanging bough :