108 SELECT POETRY

MORNING INVITATION TO A CHILD.

Tue house is a prison, the school-room’s a cell ;

Leave study and books for the upland and dell ;

Lay aside the dull poring, quit home and quit care ;

Sally forth! sally forth! let us breathe the fresh air!

The sky dons! its holiday. mantle of blue;

She sun sips his morning refreshment of dew,

Shakes, joyously laughing, his tresses of light,

And here and there turns his eye piercing and
bright ;

Then jocund mounts up on his glorious car,

With smiles to the morn—for he means to go far—

While the clouds that had newly paid court at his
levee,?

Spread sails to the breeze, and glide off in a bevy.

Lofty trees, tufted hedge-rows, and sparkling be-
tween,

Dewy meadows enameled‘ in gold and in green,

With king-cups and daisies, that all the year please,

Sprays, petals,> and leaflets that nod in the breeze,

With carpets, and garlands, and wreaths, deck the

- way,

And tempt the blithe spirit still onward to stray,
Itself its own home ;—far away! far away !

The butterflies flutter in pairs round the bower,
The humble-bee sings in each bell of each flower ;

1 Dons—puts on.

2 Levee—a crowd of inferiors waiting on or visiting sone
great personage.

3 Bevy—properly a flock of birds—a company.

4 Enameled—inlaid with various colours,

5 Petals—flower leaves,