To the Round-Leaved Sundew.
“ By the lone fountain’s secret bed,1
Where human footsteps rarely tread,2
’Mid the wild moor or silent glen,3
The Sundew blooms unseen by men ;4
Spreads there her leaf of rosy hue,5
A chalice for the morning dew,6
And, ere the summer’s sun can rise,7
Drinks the pure waters of the skies.8
“ Wouldst thou that thy lot were given9
Thus to receive the dews of heaven,10
With heart prepared, like this meek flower ?11
Come, then, and hail the dawning hour ;12
So shall a blessing from on high,13
Pure as the rain of summer’s sky,14
Unsullied as the morning dew15
Descend, and all thy soul imbue.16
“ Yes ! like the blossoms of the waste,17
Would we the sky-born waters taste,18
To the High Fountain’s sacred spring,19
The chalice let us humbly bring :20
So shall we find the streams of heaven21
To him who seeks are freely given ;22
The morning and the evening dew23
Shall still our failing strength renew.”24