Page:The Romance of Nature; or, The Flower-Seasons Illustrated.djvu/324

202 Turn ye, kind reader, a few pages back,

And deign to gaze

Upon the portrait-flowers that there ye meet;—

One, in such blaze

Of brilliant beauty and of gorgeous glow,

That ye ne'er saw an Empress robed so.

With proud disdain how she uprears her stem,

Unbending, tall;

As if she arrogantly, vainly said—

"What are ye all

Pale, paltry buds, that trail and creep around,

Scarce rising from the base and sordid ground?

See, how the butterflies, with gay-plumed wings

On me alight—

Attracted by my tow'ring, stately stem,

And colours bright—

None in my presence cast a thought on you—

Their homage paid to me, away they go."

So seemed this gaudy flower to discourse

Unto the fair,

Humble, and lowly buds, which all around

Disposed were;

And much her scorn on their mean rank was bent;

Which scorn, howe'er, brought them no discontent.