A BEE allur'd by the perfume Of a rich pine-apple in bloom, Found it within a frame inclos'd, And lick'd the glass that interpos'd. Blossoms of apricot and peach, The flow'rs that blow'd within his reach, Were arrant drugs compar'd with that, He strove so vainly to get at. No rose could yield so rare a treat, Nor jessamine were half so sweet. The gard'ner saw this much ado, (The gard'ner was the master too) And thus he said—Poor restless bee! I learn philosophy from thee, I learn how just it is and wise, To use what Providence supplies, To leave fine titles, lordships, graces, Rich pensions, dignities, and places, Those gifts of a superior kind, To those for whom they were design'd. I learn that comfort dwells alone In that which Heav'n has made our own, That fools incur no greater pain, Than pleasure coveted in vain. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...TO SHAKESPEARE by DAVID HARTLEY COLERIDGE THE WRECK OF THE HESPERUS by HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: BENJAMIN PANTIER by EDGAR LEE MASTERS WINTER WIZARDRY by LAURA S. BECK THE PAPER KITE, SELS by SAMUEL BOWDEN HE WONDERS WHETHER TO PRAISE OR TO BLAME HER by RUPERT BROOKE REMARKS ON A PAMPHLET ENTITLED, EPISTLES TO THE GREAT by JOHN BYROM THREE EPISTLES TO G. LLOYD ON A PASSAGE FROM HOMER'S ILIAD: 1 by JOHN BYROM |