Work

Sweet wind, fair wind, where have you been? “I’ve been sweeping the cobwebs out of the sky; I’ve been grinding a grist in the mill hard by; I’ve been laughing at work while others sigh; Let those laugh who win!”

Sweet rain, soft rain, what are you doing? “I’m urging the corn to fill out its cells; I’m helping the lily to fashion its bells; I’m swelling the torrent and brimming the wells; Is that worth pursuing?”

Redbreast, redbreast, what have you done? “I’ve been watching the nest where my fledglings lie; I’ve sung them to sleep with a lullaby; By and by I shall teach them to fly, Up and away, every one!”

Honeybee, honeybee, where are you going? “To fill my basket with precious pelf; To toil for my neighbor as well as myself; To find out the sweetest flower that grows, Be it a thistle or be it a rose,-- A secret worth the knowing!”

--MARY N. PRESCOTT.