University of Virginia Library

[The hairy stems of the hepatica]

The hairy stems of the hepatica,
Beneath the wahoo-bush and leafing haw,
Nod delicate as the heads of elfin maids
Of fairy tales who haunt the forest glades;
And bluets, like a Naiad's eyes adream,
Assert their azure by the woodland stream;
And, where the wind-flower braved the winds of March,
The poppy lights its golden torch.

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Come dance, come flaunt yourselves, ye wild little wind-flowers of March!
And, poppies, come light their way with the hollow gold of your torch!