 | The Poetry of Real Life |  |
127
TO THE BIRDS.
Welcome, ye whom alike the earth and airRejoice in, welcome to all love and praise—
Ye are still with us in our daily ways,
And still, where-ever joy is, ye have share,
And make it sweeter, and, where 'tis not, bear
It with ye still, to many a forlorn place,
From healthy breathing and the unbought grace
Of Nature nigh shut out, save ye be there!
Welcome, for ye are with us day by day,
Giving the blessedness of Earth a voice,
While the months dance on to your roundelay—
The heart of Man, where ye are, doth rejoice,
Ye make his dwellings pleasant, like the noise
Of waters to the wanderer on his way!
| The Poetry of Real Life | |