SONETTO.
from the italian of benedetto menzini.
I planted once a laurel tree,
And breathed to heaven an humble vow
That Phœbus' favorite it might be,
And shade and deck a poet's brow!
I prayed to Zephyr that his wing,
Descending through the April sky,
Might wave the boughs in early spring
And brush rude Boreas frowning by.
And slowly Phœbus heard the prayer,
And slowly, slowly, grew the tree,
And others sprang more fast and fair,
Yet marvel not that this should be;
For tardier still the growth of Fame—
And who is he the crown may claim?
Eta