50 SELECT POETRY

Lion, thou art made to dwell
Tn hot lands, intractable,
And thyself, the sun, the sand,
Are a tyrannous triple band ;'!—
Lion-king and desert throne,
All the region is your own !
Mary Howitt.

eee

THE BEGGAR MAN.

Anounp the fire, one wintry night,
The farmer's rosy children sat ;
The faggot lent its blazing light ;
And jokes went round and careless chat.

When, hark ! a gentle hand they hear,
Low tapping at the bolted door ;

And, thus to gain their willing ear,
A feeble voice was heard to implore :—

Cold blows the blast across the moor ;
The sleet drives hissing in the wind 5
Yon toilsome mountain lies before ;
A dreary, treeless waste behind.
“¢ My eyes are weak and dim with age 3
No road, no path, can I descry ;
And these poor rags ill stand the rage
Of such a keen, inclement sky.

So faint I am, these tottering feet
No more my feeble frame can bear 5

1 Tyrannous triple band—a threefold band of tytaate—
band of three tyrants.