The Humble Bee

Burly dozing humblebee!

Where thou art is clime for me.

Let them sail for Porto Rique,

Far-off heats through seas to seek,

I will follow thee alone,

Thou animated torrid zone!

Zig-zag steerer, desert-cheerer,

Let me chase thy waving lines,

Keep me nearer, me thy hearer,

Singing over shrubs and vines.

Insect lover of the sun,

Joy of thy dominion!

Sailor of the atmosphere,

Swimmer through the waves of air,

Voyager of light and noon,

Epicurean of June,

Wait I prithee, till I

Within ear-shot of thy hum,—All without is martyrdom.

When the south wind, in May days,

With a net of shining haze,

Silvers the horizon wall,

And, with softness touching all,

Tints the human

With a color of romance,

And, infusing subtle heats,

Turns the sod to violets,

Thou in sunny solitudes,

Rover of the underwoods,

The green silence dost displace,

With thy mellow breezy bass.

Hot midsummer's petted crone,

Sweet to me thy drowsy tune,

Telling of countless sunny hours,

Long days, and solid banks of flowers,

Of gulfs of sweetness without

In Indian wildernesses found,

Of Syrian peace, immortal leisure,

Firmest cheer and bird-like pleasure.

Aught unsavory or unclean,

Hath my insect never seen,

But violets and bilberry bells,

Maple sap and daffodels,

Grass with green flag half-mast high,

Succory to match the sky,

Columbine with horn of honey,

Scented fern, and agrimony,

Clover, catch fly, adders-tongue,

And brier-roses dwelt among;

All beside was unknown waste,

All was picture as he passed.

Wiser far than human seer,

Yellow-breeched philosopher!

Seeing only what is fair,

Sipping only what is sweet,

Thou dost mock at fate and care,

Leave the chaff and take the wheat,

When the fierce north-western

Cools sea and land so far and fast,

Thou already slumberest deep,—Woe and want thou canst out-sleep,—Want and woe which torture us,

Thy sleep makes ridiculous.