Page:Poems Ryan.djvu/41

   "Why thus," he said,
   "Thy fragrance shed
 O'er this secluded spot?
   Oh! why not grow,
   Thy beauty show,
 And seek a brighter lot?
For thou would'st win some lover true
 In palace or a cot."

   It hung its head,
   And thus replied:—
 "My God has placed me here,
   And I'm content
   My life be spent
 This lonely spot to cheer;
To some faint heart, e'en I may show
 That God is everywhere.

   "And I alone,
   In modest tone,
 Far from the haunts of man,
   A soul may win,
   From loathsome sin,
 Back to its God again.
For o'er me here. His zephyrs blow,
 His care for me is seen."

   The man passed by.
   And heaved a sigh,
 But left the violet there.
   "Long live," he said,