THE SNOW-DROP.

FRAGMENT XXXIII.

I.

SNOWY gem of the earth! whose fair modest head

Droops beneath the chill sigh of hoar winter's

cold breath;

Snowy gem of the earth! on thy pure sunless bed I carelessly nearly had crush'd thee to death.

II.

And indeed I have torn thee, thou sweet snowy

gem!

From the young kindred tendrils thou lov'st to

entwine;

Nay, I've sever'd thee quite from thy fair parent

stem,

That droops in reluctance thy charms to resign.

III.

Yet it is from a drear fate, sweet blossom, I snatch

thee,

Thy meek prostrate head to each rude foot a prey, And now in a clime far more genial I'll watch thee,

And retard thy frail beauties' too rapid decay.

IV.

For instead of the sighs of the icicled hours,

I'll breathe o'er those beauties a sigh of the heart, And its glow may restore thee, thou sweetest of flow'rs,

And some warmth to thy icy-chill'd bosom impart.

v.

And where the froze dew-drop once gem'd thy

fair brow,

That fair brow a dew-drop more precious shall

wear;

Such a drop as the mild eyes of Pity bestow,

When she sheds o'er the pale brow of SORROW

her TEAR.

VI.

For I too have suffer'd! I too have been parted From a sweet kindred blossom, a dear parent stem, And each nerve from the breath of oppression has smarted,

As the sharp sigh of winter chill'd thee, snowy

gem.

VII.

Yet like thee, no kind heart to its bosom e'er

press'd me,

Nor beam'd o'er my suff'rings a pitying eye, With care-soothing tenderness fondly caress'd me,

And repaid all my woes with a tear and a sigh.

APATHY.

FRAGMENT XXXIV.

"Le repos de l'indifference

Pouroit-il recompenser la porte du plaisir ?

Non aimer, joucir, et soufrir

De l'homme! voila l'existence."

I.

THOU! Whom unknown, my suff'ring heart im

plor'd

To fling thy spell athwart the anguish'd hour,

Spirit of Apathy! unfelt ador'd,

Oh! now I feel, now deprecate thy pow'r.

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