Classic Poem

As when, to one who long hath watched, the morn
Advancing slow forewarns th' approach of day
(What time the young and flowery-kirtled May
Decks the green hedge and dewy grass unshorn
With cowslips pale and many a whitening thorn);
And now the sun comes forth with level ray,
Gilding the high-wood top and mountain grey,
And, as he climbs, the meadows 'gins adorn;
The rivers glisten to the dancing beam,
Th' awakened birds begin their amorous strain,
And hill and vale with joy and fragrance teem;
Such is the sight of thee, thy wished return,
To eyes like mine, that long have waked to mourn,
That long have watched for light, and wept in vain.