Page:Poems Denver.djvu/243

Grand as the skies that it looks upon
 Is our bright and golden sheen;
Our secrets are all unheard, unknown,
 And our depths are by man unseen."

So sang the forest, as it swung
 Its lithe arms towards the sky,
And the air was filled and the branches rung
 With the kingly minstrelsy;
The leaping fountain sent its voice
 To join with the chanting throng,
And like a sinless soul rejoice
 In the ecstasy of song.

And the little flowers that blushed unseen,
 Their heads in reverence bowed;
Like sweet thoughts in the heart, I ween,
 Unvalued by the crowd;
Yet for the richness poured on earth,
 They blessed the minstrel-hand,
And sent their fragrant spirits forth,
 To join with the minstrel-band.

So looked the forest, dark and high,
 A thing of seeming pride;
For its head was heaving towards the sky,
 And its arms extended wide.
It stood like a strong and mighty realm,
 Unvisited by foes;
Yet there was none to guide the helm,
 In the hour of its repose.