Page:The Romance of Nature; or, The Flower-Seasons Illustrated.djvu/108

50 TO DAISIES, NOT TO SHUT SO SOON.

Among the poetic groups of Spring Flowers, culled from the rich parterre of Britain's noble and immortal Bards, I cannot omit the following exquisite description of the vernal season, by Gawain Douglas, Bishop of Dunkeld. The epithets in it are often peculiarly happy; but to those of my readers who think Chaucer's language obscure, these truly beautiful lines will seem utterly unintelligible, even with the glossary appended.

And blissful blossoms in the bloomed sward

Submit their heads in the young sun's safe-guard:

Ivy-leaves rank overspread the Barmekyn wall;

The bloomed hawthorn clad his pykis all

Forth of fresh burgeons ; the wine-grapis ying

Endlong the twistis did on trestles hing.