On one so fair, I must believe that Heaven
Sent her in kindness, that our hearts might waken
To their own loveliness, and lift themselves,
By such an adoration, from a dark
And grovelling world. Such beauty should be worshipped;
And not a thought of weakness or decay
Should mingle with the pure and hallowed dreams In which it dwells before us.
How idly of the human heart we speak,
CALYCANTHUS.
C. Floridus.
(Carolina Allspice.) Class 12. Order 5. Odoriferous and spicy shrubs. Flowers at first dark brown, becoming paler in drying; changing entirely to olive green, scented like ripe apples. A North American genus, with the exception of one species.
The gifts of love bear golden fruits,
In usury to the giver's bosom,
As the spicy Calycanthus shoots
Its wreath of flowers from the leafy blossom.*
Wouldst thou from sorrow find a sweet relief,
Or is thy heart oppressed with woes untold?
Balm wouldst thou gather for corroding grief;
Pour blessings round thee like a shower of gold?
"T is when the rose is wrapped in many a fold
Close to its heart, the worm is wasting there
Its life and beauty; not when, all unrolled,
Leaf after leaf, its bosom, rich and fair,
Breathes freely its perfumes throughout the ambient
Rouse to some work of high and holy love,
And thou an angel's happiness shalt know.
*By cutting off the terminal leaf-buds after the usual season, a succession of flowers may be obtained throughout the summer; every leaf-bud so extracted being constantly succeeded by two flowers. Nuttall.
Class 10. Order 2. Flowers solitary, and by rich culture stamens may be mostly changed to petals. Exotic.
And there the beauteous Carnation stood,
With proud disdainful eye.-
That would ensure an angel's fall;
But there's a cool collected look,
As if her pulses beat by book,-
A measured tone, a cold reply,
A management of voice and eye,
A calm, possessed, authentic air,
That leaves a doubt of softness there,
Till-look and worship as I may,
My fevered thoughts will pass away.
CAMELLIA JAPONICA.
C. Japonica.
Class 16. Order 13. A lofty,
Flowers
large evergreen tree.
large and beautiful, in the form
of a rose, exhibiting a variety
of colors; but the prevailing one
red. A native of China and
Japan.
The chaste Camellia's pure and spotless bloom, That boasts no fragrance, and conceals no thorn. William Roscoe.
Pure-hearted as a buried pearl
Within a crimson shell,
A soft-eyed and a radiant girl
Art thou, my Rosabelle.
Sweet beauty sleeps upon thy brow,
And floats before my eyes;
As meek and pure as doves art thou,
Or beings of the skies.
Thy mild looks are all eloquent,
Thy bright ones free and glad,
Like glances from a pleiad sent-
Thy sad ones sweetly sad.
I think of thee when daylight pours
Her glances through the sky,
And then with thee my spirit soars
Among the things on high.
Thou art an angel by my side;
To earth I bid farewell,
And every dream of pomp and pride--
To all but Rosabelle.
CANTERBURY BELL.
Campanula, medium.
(Bell-flower.) Class 5. Order 1. A vast genus, but mostly indigenous to Europe. Only two species found in South America. Flowers blue, purple or white. Monopetalous.
To me there's a tone from the blue Bell-flower
With her blossoms so fresh when the storm is o'er,
As she thanked the sun for his beams the while,-
That flower has taught me to repay
The friends who have cheered my stormy day,
With a grateful brow and a sunny smile.
Thou 'rt like a star; for when my way was cheerless and forlorn,
And all was blackness like the sky before a coming storm,
Thy beaming smile and words of love, thy heart of kindness free,
Illum'd my path, then cheered my soul, and bade its sorrows flee.
Thou 'rt like a star-when sad and lone I wander forth to view
The lamps of night, beneath their rays my spirit 's nerved anew,
And thus I love to gaze on thee, and then I think thou 'st power
To mix the cup of joy for me, even in life's darkest hour.
Thou 'rt like a star-whene'er my eye is upward turned to gaze
Upon those orbs, I mark with awe their clear celestial blaze;
And then thou seem'st so pure, so high, so beautifully bright,
I almost feel as if it were an angel met my sight.
Thou 'rt like a star-perchance the proud and haughty pass me by,
And curl the lip; but not to them is bowed my spirit high;
No, not to them; e'en should they wear earth's proudest diadem;
But I would bow before thee now, and kiss thy garment's hem.
American Ladies' Magazine.
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