Sun and moon, and stars shine o'er thee, See thy surface ebb and flow; Yet attempt not to explore thee Whether morning's splendours steep thee Earth, her valleys, and her mountains, Thy unfathomable fountains Scoff his search, and scorn his sway. Such thou art-stupendous ocean! B. BARTON. DAY-BREAK IN THE COUNTRY. AWAKE! awake! the flowers unfold, The air is blithe, the sky is blue, And the lark on lightsome wings, Then awake! awake! while music's note Light zephyrs of fragrance 'round thee float, For the young day has begun. I've wander'd o'er yon field of light, Where daisies wildly spring, And trac'd the spot where fays of night Flew round on elfin wing: And I've watch'd the sudden darting beam, Until clouds obscur'd the passing gleam, And all frown'd dark again. Then awake! awake! each warbling bird Labour's enlivening song is heard, For the young day has begun. Is there to contemplation given When twilight's starless mantle's riven When feather'd warblers fleet awake And hill and grove, and bush and brake, Then awake! awake! all seem to chide The glories of heaven lie far and wide,- R. RYAN. THE SCENTLESS VIOLET. DECEITFUL plant! from thee no odours rise, Of her, the sweetest offspring of the shade. To every gazer are thy flowers display'd. No incense of the heart exhales to Heaven! The Dog's-violet, Viola canina, is entirely destitute of smell. Sir. J. E. Smith satirically remarks, "The epithet canina seems to have been given to it, as to the hedge-rose, to express a degree of inferiority or unworthiness, as if a dog were always a less respectable or useful animal than his master." THE HUMMING-BIRD. THE Humming-bird!-the Humming bird, So fairy-like and bright; It lives among the sunny flowers, In the radiant islands of the East, A thousand, thousand Humming-birds Like living fires they flit about, And through the fan-palm tree. And in the wild and verdant woods, Where, on the mighty river banks, La Plate or Amazon, The cayman, like a forest tree, Lies basking in the sun There builds her nest the Humming-bird Within the ancient wood, Her nest of silky cotton down, And rears her tiny brood. She hangs it to a slender twig, Where waves it light and free, And rocks the mighty tree. In the extensive wilds of Demerara, the Campanero never fails to attract the attention of the passenger; at a distance of nearly three miles, you may All crimson is her shining breast, Her wing the changeful green and blue Thy food, the honey in the flower, How glad the heart of Eve would be, When she saw the first, first Humming-bird Among the rainbow butterflies, Another moment gone! Thou little shining creature, God sav'd thee from the flood, With eagle of the mountain-land, Who cared to save the elephant, He also cared for thee, And gave those broad lands for thy home, Where grows the cedar-tree! MARY HOWITT. "Of all animated beings," says Buffon, "this is the most elegant in form and most splendid in colouring. Precious stones and metals artificially polished hear this snow-white bird tolling every four or five minutes, like the distant convent-bell. It is generally to be seen resting on the dried top of an aged mora-tree. No sound or song from any of the winged inhabitants of the forest, not even the clearly-pronounced "Whip-poor-Will," from the Goat-Sucker, causes such astonishment as the toll of the Campanero.-Waterton's Wanderings. |