20 
FLORAL POESY. 
THE SNOWDROP. 
WORDSWOUTII. 
Lome flower, hemmed in with snows, and white as they, 
But hardier far, once more I see thee bend 
Thy forehead, as if fearful to offend, 
Like an unbidden guest. Though day by day 
Storms, sallying from the mountain tops, waylay 
The rising sun, and on the plains descend, 
Yet art thou welcome, welcome as a friend 
Whose zeal outruns his promise ! Blue-eyed May 
Shall soon behold this border thickly set 
With bright jonquils, their odors lavishing 
On the soft west wind and his frolic peers ; 
Nor will I then thy modest grace forget, 
Chaste snowdrop, venturous harbinger of Spring, 
And pensive monitor of fleeting years ! 
THE SNOWDROP. 
MRS. HOWITT. 
The snowdrop ! ’Tis an English flower, 
And grows beneath our garden trees ; 
For every heart it has a dower, 
And old and dear remembrances ! 
All look upon it, and straightway 
Recall their youth like yesterday, 
Their sunny years when forth they went, 
Wandering in measureless content ; 
Their little plot of garden ground, 
The mossy orchard’s quiet bound ; 
