THE POETRY CF FLOV.ERS. 
175 
DAWN, GENTLE FLOWER. 
BY BARRY CORNWALL. 
Dawn, gentle flower. 
From the morning earth! 
We will gaze and wonder 
At thy wondrous birth ! 
Bloom, gentle flower! 
Lover of the light, 
Sought by wind and shower, 
Fondled by the night! 
Fade, gentle flower ! 
All thy white leaves close j 
Having shone thy beauty, 
Time ’tis for repose. 
Die, gentle flower, 
In the silent sun ! 
So—all pangs are over, 
All thy tasks are done ! 
Day hath no more glory, 
Though he soars so high; 
Thine is all man’s story, 
Live—and love—and die ! 
