CONSOLATION, 67 
snow-drop in England. Wordsworth thus ad- 
dresses it :— 
Lone 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 odours 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 ! 
This herald of spring, said to be despatched 
by Flora to ascertain whether the frost be 
mitigated, and to announce the speedy arrival 
of her floral favours, is also noticed by Mrs. 
Barbauld :— 
Now the glad earth her frozen zone unbends, 
And o’er her bosom breathe the western Winds ; 
Already now the snowdrop dares appear, 
The first pale blossom of th’ unripened year z 
As Flora’s breath, by some transforming power, 
Had changed an icicle into a flower: 
Its name and hue the scentless plant retains, 
And winter lingers in its icy veins. 
Kr 2 








