O’er the pearl-besprinkled plain,

And from behind his watery vail

Looks through the thin descending hail;

She mounts, and, lessening to the sight,

Salutes the blithe return of light,

And high her tuneful track pursues

Through the rainbow’s melting hues.

Thomas Warton, 1728–1790.

THE SKYLARK.

FROM “THE FARMER’S BOY.”