But it injured not the Bee in the least;

And she filled her pocket, and had a feast,

From the bloom of the purple Thistle.

The generous Thistle's life was spared

In the home where the Bee first found her,

Till she grew so old she was hoary-haired,

And her snow-white locks with the silk compared,

As they shone where the sun beamed round her.

FOOTNOTES: