Page:Poems Hoffman.djvu/164

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RESURRECTION

I took a tiny pansy seed
And laid it in the mold
Then waited patiently to see
The first green leaves unfold.
Time passed and from the silent sod
There came no living sound
But soon the little embryo
Appeared above the ground,
It grew in pride and beauty
Kissed by sunbeams, washed by showers,
'Till Summer came and robed it
In a wealth of snowy flowers;
And now, as if in thankfulness
For life and beauty given,
My pure, sweet, waxen pansies lift
Their purple eyes to heaven.

I took the silent chrysalis
So motionless and still
And laid it very carefully
Upon my window-sill
Where brightly shone from out the east
The first beams of the sun,
And in those narrow prison walls
A wondrous change begun,
One morn a brilliant butterfly
Flew gaily 'round my room,
Burst were the bonds that bound it,
Deserted was its tomb,
With beauty, grace and loveliness
It cheered the Summer hours
And fed upon the nectar
Stored in the fragrant flowers.

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