CXXXVIII

THE NIGHTINGALE AND THE GLOW

WORM

A Nightingale that all day long

Had cheer'd the village with his song,
Nor yet at eve his note suspended,
Nor yet when eventide was ended,
Began to feel, as well he might,
The keen demands of appetite;
When looking eagerly around,
He spied far off, upon the ground,
A something shining in the dark,
And knew the Glowworm by his spark;
So, stooping down from hawthorn top,
He thought to put him in his crop.
The worm, aware of his intent,
Harangued him thus, right eloquent :
'Did you admire my lamp,' quoth he,
"As much as I your minstrelsy,
You would abhor to do me wrong,
As much as I to spoil your song :
For 'twas the self-same Power Divine
Taught you to sing, and me to shine;
That you with music, I with light,
Might beautify and cheer the night.'
The songster heard this short oration,
And warbling out his approbation,
Released him, as my story tells,
And found a supper somewhere else.

W, Cowper

CXXXIX

LADY TURNED SERVING-MAN

1 beauteous ladies great and small,
rite unto you, one and all,
ereby that you may understand
at I have suffer'd in this land.

as by birth a lady fair,
father's chief and only heir,
when my good old father died,

en I was made a young knight's bride.

1 then my love built me a bower,
leck'd with many a fragrant flower;
▪raver bower you ne'er did see
an my true love did build for me.

there came thieves late in the night, ey robb'd my bower, and slew my knight, 1 after that my knight was slain Ould no longer there remain.

servants all from me did fly the midst of my extremity, d left me by myself alone

th a heart more cold than any stone.

, though my heart was full of care, aven would not suffer me to despair; erefore in haste I changed my name om fair Elise to Sweet William.