 | Miami Woods : a golden wedding and other poems |  |
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To an Early Spring Flower.
First of the fruitful Springtime! welcome thou,
Beautiful pioneer of the Floral World!
As the bright, high-soul'd ones of human kind,
Go forth into the boundless wilderness
Fearless and first; and on the trackless deep,
Adventurous, dare the surge which ne'er before
Has curl'd and crested to the streaming flag;
The while unmindful of their toils severe,
And perils that encompass them: So thou,
Herald of after-coming multitudes,
Darest the chill and blighting storms of March,
And spread'st thy cheerful petals to the eye,
Regardless of the cloud that, stooping low,
Frowns darkly on thee, and with muttered threat
Spreads its thick folds between thee and the sun.
Beautiful pioneer of the Floral World!
As the bright, high-soul'd ones of human kind,
Go forth into the boundless wilderness
Fearless and first; and on the trackless deep,
Adventurous, dare the surge which ne'er before
Has curl'd and crested to the streaming flag;
The while unmindful of their toils severe,
And perils that encompass them: So thou,
Herald of after-coming multitudes,
Darest the chill and blighting storms of March,
And spread'st thy cheerful petals to the eye,
Regardless of the cloud that, stooping low,
Frowns darkly on thee, and with muttered threat
Spreads its thick folds between thee and the sun.
To me, dear art thou, herald flower! No rich,
And gaudy coloring, hast thou: thy leaves
Have not the rainbow-brightness, nor the deep
And dazzling hue of those which throng the earth
In summer, to the hot and burning sun
Opening their bosoms: But thou hast a tint
More delicate by far; and to the eye
Pleased with the simply beautiful, thou art
More grateful than the gaudily attired.
E'en as the beautiful of human-kind,
Who live not in the blaze of Fashion's sun,
Nor waste their early years at Folly's shrine,
—Where Nature's glorious handiwork is warp'd—
Are by the good of earth respected most,
And pleasantest to the All-seeing Eye.
And gaudy coloring, hast thou: thy leaves
Have not the rainbow-brightness, nor the deep
And dazzling hue of those which throng the earth
In summer, to the hot and burning sun
213
More delicate by far; and to the eye
Pleased with the simply beautiful, thou art
More grateful than the gaudily attired.
E'en as the beautiful of human-kind,
Who live not in the blaze of Fashion's sun,
Nor waste their early years at Folly's shrine,
—Where Nature's glorious handiwork is warp'd—
Are by the good of earth respected most,
And pleasantest to the All-seeing Eye.
| Miami Woods : a golden wedding and other poems | |