Soon the thoughtless vandal Again will make them dwindle, Whose sight is a caress, Whose sin is loveliness: Imperial marsh mallow, Striding through the shallow; Fugitive Mayflower; Misty virgin's bower; Jewel-weed and spotted Azalea; hot-hearted Columbine and tansy; Trillium, wood-pansy; Starry amaryllis; Early-blown faun-lilies; Plumes of mountain laurel, Humble yellow sorrel, Purple flame of asters, Pepper-bush's clusters, Golden-twining dodder, Melilot, and madder. Their sin is loveliness, Their presence a caress: With no one to defend them, How long before men end them? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ON STURMINSTER FOOT-BRIDGE by THOMAS HARDY OF TREASON by MARCUS VALERIUS MARTIALIS POLLY by WILLIAM BRIGHTY RANDS JOHN UNDERHILL by JOHN GREENLEAF WHITTIER PARRHASIUS by NATHANIEL PARKER WILLIS |