Verses on a Butterfly
Fair Child of Sun and Summer! we beholdWith eager eyes thy wings bedropp'd with gold;The purple spots that o'er thy mantle spread,The sapphire's lively blue, the ruby's red,Ten thousand various blended tints surprise,Beyond the rainbow's hues or peacock's eyes:Not Judah's king in eastern pomp array'd,Whose charms allur'd from far the Sheban maid,High on his glitt'ring throne, like you could shine(Nature's completest miniature divine):For thee the rose her balmy buds renews,And silver lilies fill their cups with dews;Flora for thee the laughing fields perfumes,For thee Pomona sheds her choicest blooms,Soft Zephyr wafts thee on his gentlest galesO'er Hackwood's sunny hill and verdant vales;For thee, gay queen of insects! do we roveFrom walk to walk, from beauteous grove to grove;And let the critics know, whose pedant prideAnd awkward jests our sprightly sport deride:That all who honours, fame, or wealth pursue,Change but the name of things--they hunt for you.
Sign in to like, rate and collect poems, and keep track of what you've read.