WISDOM UNAPPLIED.
I.
IF I were thou, O butterfly,
And poised my purple wings, to spy
The sweetest flowers that live and die,—
II.
I would not waste my strength on those,
As thou,—for summer hath a close,
And pansies bloom not in the snows.
III.
If I were thou, O working bee,
And all that honey-gold I see
Could delve from roses easily;
IV.
I would not hive it at man's door,
As thou,—that heirdom of my store
Should make him rich, and leave me poor.
