MODESTY. 
©= 
VIOLET, WHITE. 
Viola Lactea. 
Language — MODESTY. 
I know thou art oft 
Passed carelessly by, 
And the hue so soft 
Of thine azure eye 
Gleams unseen, unsought, in its leafy bower, 
While the heartless prefer some statelier flower, 
That they eagerly cull, and, when faded, fling 
Away with rude hand, as a worthless thing. 
Not such is thy fate: not thy beauty’s gift 
Alone bids thee from thy bower be reft; 
Not thy half-closing, dewy, and deep-blue eye, 
But the charm that doth not with beauty die. 
’Tis thy mild, soft fragrance makes thee so dear, 
Thou loveliest gem of the floral year. 
Tiyambly. 
The violet droops its soft and bashful brow, 
But from its heart sweet incense fills the air ; 
So rich within, so pure without, art thou, 
With modest mien, and soul of virtue rare ! 
Mks. Osgood. 
True modesty is a discerning grace, 
And only blushes in the proper place; 
But counterfeit is blind, and skulks through fear, 
Where ’tis a shame to be ashamed t’ appear; 
Humility the parent of the first, 
The last by vanity produced and nursed. 
COWPER. 
