Whence gets Earth her gold for thee,
O Sunflower?
Her woven, yellow locks so fine
Must go to make that gold of thine.
And whence thy red beside the stream,
O Cardinal-flower?
She pricks some vein lies near her heart
That thy rich, ruddy hue may start.
And whence thy blue amid the corn,
O Corn-flower?
Her deep-blue eyes gleam out in glee,
The glories of her work to see.
Hannah Parker Kimball
SUNFLOWERS
My tall sunflowers love the sun,
Love the burning August noons
When the locust tunes its viol,
And the cricket croons.
When the purple night draws on,
With its planets hung on high,
And the attared winds of slumber
Wander down the sky,
Still my sunflowers love the sun,
Keep their ward and watch and wait
Till the rosy key of morning
Opes the eastern gate.
Then, when they have deeply quaffed
From the brimming cups of dew,
You can hear their golden laughter
All the garden through.
Clinton Scollard