Classic Poem

I KNOW thou wilt not harm me,
A little helpless thing—
For, lady, with a gentle hand
Thou strok'st my glossy wing.

Yet do not keep me longer
A captive here to sigh
For mate, for nest, for greenwood bower,
Oh! thither let me fly.

Thou canst not tame me ever,
I must be free to roam,
If prisoned now the costliest cage
Could never be my home.

My tiny wings would flutter,
And I should droop and die;
For I love the laughing zephyr
And the clear blue summer sky.

Dost think I can be happy
Amid these fragrant flowers?
Alas! they always would remind
Of the lost summer hours.

You soon shall see them wither
And feel their latest sigh;
And though my life might longer be,
I, too, would quickly die.

Dear lady, for a moment
Upon thy hand I stay,
As if to thank thee e'er I fly
O'er the green fields away.