Classic Poem

Steady and small, the summer rain
Drops freshness, all the long day through,
The lilac-tree takes heart again,
And trims her purple plumes anew;

The opulent viburnum's robes
Trail, heavy-weighted by the shower;
While slowly all its light-green globes
Whiten to snowballs hour by hour.

Sweet incense-breaths of gratitude
Betray the valley-lily meek;
And from the shade in cheerful mood
The pansy lifts its velvet cheek.

Yet some of June's fair pensioners
Love not this gray and weeping sky;
The chestnut silently demurs,
And drops its blossoms patiently;

The lush red peony, yesterday
Lighting the garden's wonder-land,
Lies low along the gravelled way,
Its burning forehead in the sand;

The dandelions shrink and close,
Loving the sun and lacking him,
Dishevelled with their watery woes,
And all their golden disks grown dim.