THE AWAKENING OF THE FLOWERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 9022, 29 October 1892, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE AWAKENING OF THE FLOWERS.

Blithe Flora danced 'tween the sunlight and

showers, And breathed on the earth to awaken the flowers ; I And clothe them with boauty all fair to behold, In vestures of crimson and purple and gold; To please with their colours in shadow and light, To strengthen our faith anil to guide us aright, , To teach doubting hearts of love, wisdom, and power Of growth and decay in the life of a, flower. The nightingale sang in the dark of the woods, Where eager-eyed selfishness rarely intrudes; Come forth, sighed the goddess, man's spirit to cheer, Bud, beautiful roses, the summer is near; Wake, flowers of all forms, with your health-giving breath, Speak peace to the soul in the chamber of death, And where the bees gather in haymaking time, while birds are in song and the trees in their prime. Come, golden-starred pansy, in circle of leaves, Where Nature her true worker never deceives, Dark, velvety-leafed symbol of fanciful thought, As Sbakespere, the world's greatest poet, has taught. Smile, meadowside primrose, simplicity's child, Which Milton admired in the glade of the wild, . Which Goldsmith saw, peeping beneath the old thorn, • Dew-beaded and cramped in the light of the morn. Sweet violet, come forward, in robe of pale blue, Give joy to the hearts of the loving and true ; From leafty retirement thy sweetness exhale, Like virtue unseen in an oak-sheltered vale. Fair daisy, quaint Chaucer's bright-eye of the day. Which Burns, Scotland's bard, made attractive for aye, Bloom all the {.year round on the mountain and plain, While music and Shelley's grand lark-song remain. Say, buttercup, proud of your new yellow dress, Reflect what coy maidens are slow to confess ; A nobler flower lesson in silence impart, Than old-faded legends which cling to the heart. Come, flowers in due season, your sweetness diffuse, And know, ye who love their rich odours and hues, That God walks the garden and dresses the vine, And causes the stars and the lilies to shine. - John blackman.