Amusive birds ! say where your hid retreat 

 When the frost rages and the tempests beat ; 

 Whence your return, by such nice in>tinct led, 

 When spring, soft season, lifts her bloomy head? 

 Such baffled searches mock man's prying pride, 

 The God of Nature is your secret guide I 



While deep'ning shades obscure the face of day 

 To yonder bench leaf-shelter'd let us stray. 

 Till blended objects fail the swimming sight, 

 And all the fading landscape sinks in night ; 

 To hear the drowsy dorr come brushing by 

 With buzzing wing, or the shrill cricket ^ cry ; 

 To see the feeding bat glance through the wood ; 

 To catch the distant falling of the flood ; 

 While o'er the clilf th' awaken'd churn-owl hung 

 Through the still gloom protracts his chattering song ; 

 While high in air, and poi:?'d upon his wings, 

 Unseen, the soft enamour'd woodlark sings : 

 These, Nature's works, the curious mind employ, 

 Inspire a soothing melancholy joy : 

 As fancy warms, a pleasing kind of pain 

 Steals o'er the cheek, and thrills the creeping vein ! 



Each rural sight, each sound, each smell combine ; 

 The tinkling sheep-bell, or the breath of kine ; 

 The new-mown hay that scents the swelling breeze, 

 Or cottage-chimney smoking through the trees. 



The chilling night-dews fall : — away, retire ; 

 For see, the glowworm lights her amorous fire ! 

 Thus, ere night's veil had half obscured the sky, 

 Th' impatient damsel hung her lamp on high : 

 True to the signal, by love's meteor led, 

 Leander hasten'd to his Hero's bed. 



Selborne, J/aj' 29, 1769. 



Grylliis canipestris. 



97 



