Classic Poem

O fair-eyed daughters of the balmy prime,
By hoarded warmth and close attention nourished,
While, all around you, thick with snow and rime,
The hardy evergreens alone have flourished;
To the cold air your fragrance ye impart
And make it scented with the breath of June,
And, like a sweet narcotic, lull the heart
With dreams of rambles 'neath a summer moon.
Thus, 'mid the winter of this world of ours,
There dwelleth many a spirit, hither borne
From the warm summer of a brighter sphere;
Sustained by gentle tending, like these flowers,
The chilly earth they sweeten and adorn,
Which else would only a rude offspring rear.