66 THE POETRY OF FLOWERS 
EARLY YOUTH. 
PRIMROSE. 
No smiling knot 
Of early primroses upon the warm, 
Luxuriant, southern bank appears, unmarked 
By him. 
Carrington. 
Amid the sunny luxury of grass, 
Are tufts of pale-eyed primroses, entwined 
With many a bright-hued flower, and shrub that scents 
The all-voluptuous air. 
Carrington. 
The saffron tufts of the primrose announce the return of 
spring, when we see the snowy mantle of retiring winter orna¬ 
mented with embroidery of verdure and of flowers. The sea¬ 
son of hoar-frost has passed, but the bright days of summer 
have not yet arrived. The period is emblematical of a lovely 
girl just passing from childhood to youth. The timid Aglae 
has scarce attained her fifteenth year, and would fain join the 
romping games of her younger companions, but is unable to do 
so. She watches them, and her heart burns to follow them. 
But a distaste for innocent joys, which she cannot vanquish, 
disturbs the heart of this young beauty. An interesting pale¬ 
ness is spread over her face, her heart languishes, and she 
sighs, scarce knowing why. She has been told that, as spring 
succeeds to winter, so the pleasures of love follow those of in¬ 
fancy. Poor girl! you will learn that those pleasures are min¬ 
gled with bitterness and tears. The arrival of the primrose 
announces them to thee to-day; but it also tells thee that the 
happy period of infancy can never return. Alas! in a few 
years you will say, when observing the early primrose, “ The 
days of love and of youth are fled, never to return.” 
