Leigh Hunt.
CXCVIII
TO A BIRD THAT HAUNTED THE WATERS OF LAKEN IN THE WINTER.
O melancholy bird!—a winter’s day
Thou standest by the margin of the pool,
And, taught by God, dost thy whole being school
To patience, which all evil can allay;
God has appointed thee the fish thy prey; 5
And given thyself a lesson to the fool
Unthrifty, to submit to moral rule,
And his unthinking course by thee to weigh.