Page:The Romance of Nature; or, The Flower-Seasons Illustrated.djvu/199

113 THE FLOWER AND THE FAIRY.

, whose task was to dwell upon earth,

Watching the birth

And height'ning the beauty of Summer Flowers,

As the little buds oped to the dews and showers,

Aweary grew

Of each tint and hue

That so long she had gazed on through days and hours.

And the Fairy threw

Around o'er the garden a wistful gaze,

That rested on bower, and bank, and maze;

And the Fairy sighed,

And the flowers replied,

In echoes of fragrance, that fanned along

Like a butterfly's wing or an elfin song.

As the soft breath died

Into stillness and calm o'er the garden wide,