 | Birds, Bees and Blossoms |  |
9
THE DEAD SWALLOW.
“And why did it come there to die?”
Such was the question put to me;
And to the child I made reply:
“It was too ill and weak to fly
With its companions o'er the sea,
So still kept on that stony ridge
Where it could watch the waters flow,
Under the dark arch of the bridge,
And see the branches wave below:
Five once sat there all in a row.
Such was the question put to me;
And to the child I made reply:
“It was too ill and weak to fly
With its companions o'er the sea,
So still kept on that stony ridge
Where it could watch the waters flow,
Under the dark arch of the bridge,
And see the branches wave below:
Five once sat there all in a row.
“There they were hatched, that is the nest,
Built on the keystone of the arch;
It often did my eye arrest,
When April followed windy March,
Tracing its progress day by day,
Thinking how dangerously it stood,
And should by chance the nest give way,
The young would perish in the flood:
My fears were vain: the work was good.
Built on the keystone of the arch;
10
When April followed windy March,
Tracing its progress day by day,
Thinking how dangerously it stood,
And should by chance the nest give way,
The young would perish in the flood:
My fears were vain: the work was good.
“The young were hatched, and fledged, and reared,
Above the torrent's angry roar;
I watched them oft, and sometimes feared
Danger was nearer than before,
And that when standing in a row,
They would into the water fall;
But fearlessly they looked below,
Though, at their mother's twittering call,
They drew back nearer to the wall.
Above the torrent's angry roar;
I watched them oft, and sometimes feared
Danger was nearer than before,
And that when standing in a row,
They would into the water fall;
But fearlessly they looked below,
Though, at their mother's twittering call,
They drew back nearer to the wall.
“Drew back from that small giddy ledge,
That looked deep down and stood so high,
Seeming to know, too near the edge
They must not go till they could fly.
The Pike so hungry, fierce, and grim,
When looking down they often saw
Under the gloomy archway swim,
With his huge length of hideous jaw:
No doubt they looked at him in awe.
That looked deep down and stood so high,
Seeming to know, too near the edge
They must not go till they could fly.
The Pike so hungry, fierce, and grim,
When looking down they often saw
Under the gloomy archway swim,
With his huge length of hideous jaw:
No doubt they looked at him in awe.
“I think the one that there lay dead,
Was injured, or had had a fall;
It always seemed to droop its head,
I never saw it fly at all,
Although I came day after day,
But always found it moping there
After the rest had flown away.
The parent birds were ever near,
And did their best its heart to cheer.
Was injured, or had had a fall;
It always seemed to droop its head,
I never saw it fly at all,
11
But always found it moping there
After the rest had flown away.
The parent birds were ever near,
And did their best its heart to cheer.
“They brought it food all summer through,
And gave it water just the same;
I wondered then what it would do
When the migrating season came,
And all the swallows crossed the sea:
I have no doubt the parents tried
To take it, but that could not be;
So of necessity it died,
For on their wings it could not ride.
And gave it water just the same;
I wondered then what it would do
When the migrating season came,
And all the swallows crossed the sea:
I have no doubt the parents tried
To take it, but that could not be;
So of necessity it died,
For on their wings it could not ride.
“After they left it, there it stood,
Still looking down with wondering eyes—
Watching the ever rolling flood,
Watching the branches fall and rise
As they were by the current shook,
While the o'erhanging wild flowers swayed.
Perhaps it at itself would look,
The water like a mirror laid,
So still at times within the shade.
Still looking down with wondering eyes—
Watching the ever rolling flood,
Watching the branches fall and rise
As they were by the current shook,
While the o'erhanging wild flowers swayed.
Perhaps it at itself would look,
The water like a mirror laid,
So still at times within the shade.
“And that poor bird would sit for hours,
Till all the bridge was wrapt in gloom,
Until you couldn't see the flowers,
Much less the colours of their bloom:
There it would sit from night to morn,
And hear the cold rain dropping down
From off the bridge upon the thorn;
Then lower, on the sedge so brown,
Where the dark archway seemed to frown.
Till all the bridge was wrapt in gloom,
Until you couldn't see the flowers,
Much less the colours of their bloom:
There it would sit from night to morn,
And hear the cold rain dropping down
From off the bridge upon the thorn;
12
Where the dark archway seemed to frown.
“Beyond, so close the branches fell,
So thick the torrent was embowered,
That from the bridge you could not tell
What plants they were below that flowered.
And when the sun bathed all in gold,
That forlorn bird would twitter sweet;
But when the shadows, dark and cold,
Fell on the foliage at its feet,
To the chill wall it would retreat,
So thick the torrent was embowered,
That from the bridge you could not tell
What plants they were below that flowered.
And when the sun bathed all in gold,
That forlorn bird would twitter sweet;
But when the shadows, dark and cold,
Fell on the foliage at its feet,
To the chill wall it would retreat,
“Bury its head, and so remain,
As it back by the keystone shrank.
I fear it neither ate nor drank
After its parents crossed the main.
I tried, but never could get near,
It made me giddy but to look,
And no one could a ladder rear
In that unfathomable brook.
I tried, and then the cause forsook.
As it back by the keystone shrank.
I fear it neither ate nor drank
After its parents crossed the main.
I tried, but never could get near,
It made me giddy but to look,
And no one could a ladder rear
In that unfathomable brook.
I tried, and then the cause forsook.
“There was no hold for hands nor feet;
I tried to get down every way,
But no projecting ledge could meet,
And too far down the keystone lay.
It grieved me to the very heart,
Although to save it I oft tried,
From that poor famished bird to part.
And so upon that ledge it died,
From whence it never once had flied.”
I tried to get down every way,
But no projecting ledge could meet,
And too far down the keystone lay.
It grieved me to the very heart,
Although to save it I oft tried,
From that poor famished bird to part.
And so upon that ledge it died,
From whence it never once had flied.”
| Birds, Bees and Blossoms | |