[Illustration]



V.


Half covered with last year's leaves,
She peeped from her russet bed;

The great bare branches of the trees
Were tossed and swayed overhead;

The hedge looked barren and prickly,
Without the sign of a leaf;
Over the flower there bowed a heart
Grown cold with the snows of grief.

The violet's fragile petals
Enfolded a heart of gold,
And a deeper wealth of perfume,
Than the tiny cup could hold;
So the great wind roaring above
Sent a tiny zephyr down,
To drift aside the sheltering bloom,
And bereave her of her crown.

It stole the familiar scent,
To give to the burdened heart
With only a cold north wind