284 SELECT POETRY

Or in sequestered lanes they build,
Where, till the flitting bird’s return,

Her eggs within the nest repose -
Like relics in an urn.

But still, where general choice is good,
There is a better and a best:

And, among fairest objects, some
Are fairer than the rest.

This, one of those small builders proved
In a green covert, where, from out
The forehead of a pollard oak,'
The leafy antlers sprout ;

For she who planned the mossy lodge,
Mistrusting her evasive skill,

Had to a primrose looked for aid
Her wishes to fulfil.

High on the trunk’s projecting brow
And fixed an infant's span above

The budding flowers, peeped forth the nest,
The prettiest of the grove !

The treasure proudly did I show
To some whose minds without disdain
Can turn to little things ; but once
Looked up for it in vain ;

‘Tis gone—a ruthless spoilers prey,
Who heeds not beauty, love, or song ;

1 Pollard oak—an oak that has had its head lopped or
clipped.