Some in purple and in gold;
And I wondered at their courage,
Facing storms of cloud and cold.
Then I asked them of their mission,—
Why they came to bless the world;
And they laughed and shook the dew-drops
From their velvet leaves unfurled,
“Oh!” they cried, “we’ve many missions,
But the gladdest of them all
Is to cheer the little children,