University of Virginia Library

The Bee and the Pineapple.

(PROBABLY SEPTEMBER, 1779.)

A bee, allured by the perfume
Of a rich pineapple in bloom,
Found it within a frame enclosed,
And licked the glass that interposed.
Blossoms of apricot and peach,
The flowers that blowed within his reach,
Were arrant drugs compared with that
He strove so vainly to get at
No rose could yield so rare a treat,
Nor jessamine were half so sweet.
The gard'ner saw this much-ado
(The gardener was the master too),
And thus he said: “Poor restless bee!
I learn philosophy from thee.
I learn how just it is and wise,
To use what Providence supplies,
To leave fine titles, lordships, graces,
Rich pensions, dignities, and places—
Those gifts of a superior kind—
To those for whom they were designed.
I learn that comfort dwells alone
In that which Heaven has made our own,
That fools incur no greater pain
Than pleasure coveted in vain.”