Lays and Legends or Ballads of the New World By G. W. Thornbury |
 |
| I. |
| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| II. |
FEBRUARY. |
 | Lays and Legends or Ballads of the New World |  |
151
FEBRUARY.
The time when skies are free from cloud,
Though still the robin whistles loud
In the bare garden croft,
The catkin, on the hazel tree,
Mistakes for summer flower the bee,
And round it hovers oft.
Though still the robin whistles loud
In the bare garden croft,
The catkin, on the hazel tree,
Mistakes for summer flower the bee,
And round it hovers oft.
Winter's last sigh, from frozen north,
Withers the flower that ventures forth;
And there is wanting still
The unseen warmth, the mellow note
Of the wild bird with dappled coat,
Though faster flows the rill.
Withers the flower that ventures forth;
And there is wanting still
The unseen warmth, the mellow note
Of the wild bird with dappled coat,
Though faster flows the rill.
When, from his winter home, the snake
Creeps stealthy through the withered brake,
And thoughtless of the past,
The young leaves open over head,
Though still their fathers, sere and dead,
Are hurried by the blast.
Creeps stealthy through the withered brake,
And thoughtless of the past,
The young leaves open over head,
Though still their fathers, sere and dead,
Are hurried by the blast.
When linked together, hand in hand,
The buds break forth, a merry band
In every meadow hedge;
The lark sings up amid the cloud;
The happy streamlet ripples loud
Past the long flowering sedge.
The buds break forth, a merry band
In every meadow hedge;
The lark sings up amid the cloud;
The happy streamlet ripples loud
Past the long flowering sedge.
And water-lilies, in a throng,
Creep up to hear the thrush's song,
Or notes from blackbird's bill;
And with a gushing voice of pleasure,
Its little store of silver treasure
Pours forth each little rill.
Creep up to hear the thrush's song,
Or notes from blackbird's bill;
And with a gushing voice of pleasure,
Its little store of silver treasure
Pours forth each little rill.
| Lays and Legends or Ballads of the New World | |