. Birds and flowers, or, Lays and lyrics of rural life . 124 THE IVY-BUSH. And when the fires of their eyes appear,The weak little birds they quake for fear—For they know that the owls, with a fierce delight,Riot and feast, like lords, at night. Old bush, of ivy-trees the prime,Men find thee out at Christmas-time;From the distant town, through frost and snow,To the woods of Winter-burn they go ;And were Care killed by an ivy bough,What a killer of Care, old tree, wert thou !For high in the hall, with laughter hang thy twigs with their powdered berry;And the red-gemmed holly they mix
. Birds and flowers, or, Lays and lyrics of rural life . 124 THE IVY-BUSH. And when the fires of their eyes appear,The weak little birds they quake for fear—For they know that the owls, with a fierce delight,Riot and feast, like lords, at night. Old bush, of ivy-trees the prime,Men find thee out at Christmas-time;From the distant town, through frost and snow,To the woods of Winter-burn they go ;And were Care killed by an ivy bough,What a killer of Care, old tree, wert thou !For high in the hall, with laughter hang thy twigs with their powdered berry;And the red-gemmed holly they mix alsoWith the spectral branches of old tree! and the cottage smallIs decked as well as the barons hall:For the childrens hands are busy and fainTo dress up the little set in the chinks of the roof-tree woodThe holly and ivy, green and good. THE IVY-BUSH. 125 Twere well for us, thou rare old tree 1Could we gladden the human heart like thee—Like thee and the holly, that thus make gayThe lowliest cot for a winters day I.
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1800, bookdecade1870, bookpublisherlondon, booksubject
