Or glen remote, or woodland lawn, Within some old fantastic tree, The cone, beset with many a scale, With twigs, and moss entwin'd; Soft is his shining auburn coat, With feathery tail, and ears alert, And thus, the man of mental worth If to the upright heart be join'd THE EARLY BUTTERFLY. TRUSTING the first warm day of spring, With wavering flight, he settles, now, Where pilewort spreads its blossoms fair; Thou from thy winter home hast come; To taste of summer sweets be borne. Smith. THE NAUTILUS. WHERE Southern suns and winds prevail, And scuds before the freshening breeze. Oft is a little squadron seen, Of mimic ships all rigg'd complete ; The dangers of the watery waste. There, safe on ocean's shelly bed, He hears the storm above him roar; 'Mid groves of coral, glowing red, Or rocks o'erhung with madrepore. So let us catch life's favouring gale, But if fate's adverse blasts be rude, Take calmly in the adventurous sail, And seek repose in solitude. Smith. AN EVENING WALK BY THE SEA-SIDE. 'Tis pleasant to wander along on the sand, Smith. Beneath the high cliff that is hollow'd in caves; When the fisher has put off his boat from the land, And the prawn-catcher wades through the short rippling waves. While fast run before us the sandling and plover, Intent on the crabs and the sand-eels to feed ; And here on a rock, which the tide will soon cover, We'll find us a seat that is tapestried with weed. Bright gleam the white sails in the slant rays of ev'n, And stud as with silver, the broad level main; While glowing clouds float on the fair face of heav'n, And the mirror-like water reflects them again. How various the shades of marine vegetation, Thrown here, the rough flints and pebbles among, The feather'd conferva, of deepest carnation, The dark purple slake, and the olive sea-thong. While Flora herself, unreluctantly mingles Her garlands with those that the Nereids have worn, For the yellow horn'd poppy springs up on the shingles, And convolvulas rival the rays of the morn. But now to retire from the rock we have warning, Already the water encircles our seat; And slowly the tide of the evening returning, The moon-beam reflects in the waves at our feet. Ah, whether as now, the mild summer sea flowing, Scarce wrinkles the sands as it murmers on shore; Or fierce wintry whirlwinds impetuously blowing, Bid high madd'ning surges resistlessly roar. That Power which can put the wide waters in motion, Then bid the vast billows repose at his word; Fills the mind with deep reverence, while, earth, air, and ocean, Alike, of the universe speak Him the Lord. THE HUMMING BIRD. Smith. MINUTEST of the feather'd kind, That thou should'st be A proof, within how little space, Those burnish'd colours to bestow, She dipp'd; and made thy plumes to glow That in the dancing sunbeam plays, Mingled the emerald's lucid rays With sapphire blue. |