Page:Poems Douglas.djvu/117

But to the flow'r each pelting drop
 A cruel death blow gave,
And bow'd and shatter'd to the earth
 What it but meant to save.

And thus it is with human flowers;
 Oh, ye who would reprove
The weak and erring of your race,
 Your counsel give in love!
There is a spell in gentleness,
 A magic in its tone,
Which holds the power to sway the heart,
 And holds that power alone.

Kind words! sure such alone should flow
 From gentle woman's heart;
And surely harshness is beneath
 Man's still superior part:
Such only tends to break the reed,
 To crush the bending flower;
Oh, then, let chidings kind and calm
 Descend, the cleansing shower!