XII.
A kindred life with these I ask—
Not beauty, not the scent we seek;
But in thy sunshine let me bask,
My heart as glowing as my cheek.
XIII.
An idle heart, that would not heed
The chiding voice of duty come,
To take the soul, new-nerved and freed,
Back to close task and gloomy room.
XIV.
Thou, Nature, that magician be!
Give me the old-time peace—the joy
That warmed my heart, and made me free,
A wild, but not a wayward boy.
XV.
And I will bless thee with a song,
As fond as hers—that idle bird—
That sings above me all day long,
As if she knew I watch'd and heard.
W. Gilmore Simms.