46 
THE COWSLIP. 
Unfolding to the breeze of May, 
The cowslip greets the vernal ray ; 
The topaz and the ruby gem 
Her blossoms’ simple diadem ; 
And, as the dew-drops gently fall, 
They tip with pearls her coronal. 
In princely halls and courts of kings 
Its lustrous ray the diamond flings ; 
Yet few of those who see its beam, 
Amid the torches’ dazzling gleam, 
As bright as though a meteor shone, 
Can call the costly prize their own. 
And gems, of every form and hue, 
Are glittering here in morning dew ; 
Jewels that all alike may share 
As freely as the common air ; 
No niggard hand, no jealous eye, 
Protects them from the passer-by. 
Man to his brother shuts his heart, 
And Science acts a miser’s part ; 
But Nature, with a liberal hand, 
Flings wide her stores o’er sea and land. 
If gold she gives, not single grains 
Are scattered far across the plains, 
