A spray of blossoms, and as well

Some violets, gathered yesterday

From leafy wood and shaded dell,

Sweet children of a fruitful May;

Dear minstrels of that silent lay

More potent than an organ's swell.

And now they're withered! all the joy

Has gone for ever, and the scent;

Relentless fingers can alloy

So much of nature's sentiment,

So many strains of deep content,

It takes so little to destroy.