36 NATURE STUDY. 



Love's smallest coin, which yet to some may give 



The morsel that may keep alive 

 A starving heart, and teach it to behold 

 Some glimpse of God where all before was cold. 



Thy winged seeds, whereof the winds take care, 

 Are like the words of poet and of sage 



Which through the free heaven fare, 

 And, now unheeded, in another age 

 Take root, and to the gladdened future bear 

 That witness which the present would not heed, 



Bringing forth many a thought and deed, 

 And, planted safely in the eternal sky, 

 Bloom into stars which earth is guided by. 



Full of deep love thou art, yet not more full 

 Than all thy common brethren of the ground, 



Wherein, were we not dull, 



Some words of highest wisdom might be found; 

 Yet earnest faith from day to day may cull 

 Some syllables, which, rightly joined, can make 



A spell to soothe life's bitterest ache, 

 And ope Heaven's portals, which are near us still, 

 Yea, nearer ever than the gates of 111. 



How Jike a prodigal doth nature seem, 

 When thou, for all thy gold, so common art! 



Thou teachest me to deem 

 More sacredly of every human heart, 

 Since each reflects in joy its scanty gleam 

 Of Heaven, and could some wondrous secret show, 



Did we but pay the love we owe, 

 And with a child's undoubting wisdom look 

 On all these living pages of God's book. 



But let me read thy lesson right or no, 



Of one good gift from thee my heart is sure ; 



Old I shall never grow 

 While thou each year dost come to keep me pure 



