THE HUMBLE-BEE 175 



THE HUMBLE-BEE 



BURLY, dozing humble-bee, 

 Where them art is clime for me. 

 Let them sail for Porto Rique, 

 Far-off heats through seas to seek ; 

 I will follow thee alone, 

 Thou animated torrid zone ! 

 Zigzag steerer, desert cheerer, 

 Let me chase thy waving lines ; 

 Keep me nearer, me thy hearer, 

 Singing over shrubs and vines. 



Insect lover of the sun, 

 Joy of thy dominion ! 

 Sailor of the atmosphere ; 

 Swimmer through the waves of air ; 

 Voyager of light and noon ; 

 Epicurean of June, 

 Wait, I prithee, till I come 

 Within earshot of thy hum, 

 All without is martyrdom. 



When the south wind, in May days, 

 With a net of shining haze 

 Silvers the horizon wall, 

 And, with softness touching all, 

 Tints the human countenance 

 With a colour of romance, 

 And, infusing subtle heats, 

 Turns the sod to violets, 



