"My  graceful  bird  that  decked  my  bower,
Companion  of  my  leisure  hour,

Thy  form's  for  ever  fled  ;
I  caged  thee  from  thy  downy  nest,
Thy  cry  for  food  mine  ear  addressed,

Thy  watchful  parent  dead : —

By  wanton  hands  she  breathless  lay
On  daisied  bank ! — where  I  at  play

Was  plucking  flowers  so  fair ;
'Twas  then  I  heard  thy  plaintive  cry,
I  found  thee,   wept  and  heaved  a  sigh ;

Vowed  with  maternal  care

I'd  tend,  and  feed,  pure  water  give,

Caress  thee  sweet,  whilst  thou  should 'st  live,

Feel  grateful  for  thy  strain  ! —
But  ah ! — thy  notes  are  hushed  in  death  ! —
I  saw  thee  draw  thy  last  sad  breath,

And  oh  !   regrets  are  vain."

Completed,  Anna  to  her  mother  brought
Her  soul's  pure  breathings  with  much  feeling  fraught;
The  tender  parent  smiles,  approval  gives,
"And  may  my  Anna  cherish  while  she  lives
This  heaven-born  sympathy  !  'twill  prove  more  sweet
Than  all  the  joys  her  heart  can  ever  greet."


MATILDA.  55

Happy  Matilda  owning  power  to  impart
Matter  like  this,  to — nature's  key — the  heart :
Noting  each  subject,  from  it  strives  to  find
Some  philosophic  lore  for  Anna's  mind ! —
The  elements, — the  skies, — the  flower  and  field,
Prove  themes  of  pleasure  and  instruction  yield.
