Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE WHITE POPPY, by MARIA ABDY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE WHITE POPPY, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Thou hast no power to charm our eye
Last Line: I trace his care for man.
Alternate Author Name(s): Smith, Maria; Abdy, Mira; M. A.
Subject(s): Poppies


Thou hast no power to charm our eye,
Or aid us in our need,
Disdainfully we pass thee by,
Thou pale and worthless weed!
Bright flowers are near thy dwelling-place,
And corn is waving round,
Thou dost but sadden and deface
This gay and fertile ground.

Yet hold -- my censure I repress --
Thy wondrous juice contains
A spell to soothe in drowsiness,
The weary sufferer's pains;
He sighs for sleep -- in thought he shrinks
From night's long train of woes,
Till of thy lulling draught he drinks,
And sinks to soft repose.

What were to him the fragrant flowers
That lavish Nature yields,
What the rich vineyard's purple stores,
The harvest of the fields?
Scarce fruits improved by careful art,
Fair buds of varied dyes,
How would they mock his throbbing heart,
How cheat his aching eyes!

Let me no more with erring sense
God's mystic works arraign,
The mighty hand of Providence
Hath nothing made in vain;
Nor need I quit this lonely mead
His gracious love to scan,
Since even in a simple weed
I trace his care for man.





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