Welcome! Wild harbinger of Spring

Welcome! Wild harbinger of Spring,
To this small nook of earth;
Feeling and fancy fondly cling
Round thoughts which owe their birth
To thee, and to the humble spot
Where chance has fixed thy lowly lot.
Yet not the Lily nor the Rose,
Though fairer far they be,
Can more delightful thoughts disclose,
Than I derive from thee.
The eye their beauty may prefer,
The heart is thy interpreter.
Thy flower foretells a summer sky,
And chides the dark despair
By winter's chilling influence flung
O'er spirits sunk, and nerves unstrung.

Note:

Today is the birthday of the prolific English Quaker poet Bernard Barton who was born on January 31, 1784.

One of Barton’s most famous poems is this one - it heralds the spring Crocus.