Love of Nature - An 1864 Poem

By Horace. Willetsville, Ohio.

Oh! how I love to wander

Through the forest in the Spring,

Among the pretty flowers,

To hear the wild birds sing.

With the azure sky above me,

The green trees all around,

And a verdant mossy carpet

Spread over all the ground.

 

I love to roam in summer,

Among the flowerets fair;

The daisies and the violets,

And roses too are there;

And see the squirrels playing,

About among the trees;

And the leaflets softly swaying,

In the gentle summer breezes.

 

I love to roam in autumn,

When the leaves are turning brown;

When all the flowers are fading,

And the fruit is falling down.

The golden pears and apples,

Are falling from the trees;

And the purple, juicy grapes

Are as beautiful as these.

 

And O! I love the winter;

When we can sleigh and skate;

And when the sun has sunk to rest,

And it is growing late,

All seated 'round the fireside,

We read, and talk, and sing,

As merry as the birds, or bees,

Or any living thing.

 

I love the works of Nature;

I love the works of Art;

Even the little birdies

Have a place within my heart.

The rippling of the waters

Is a pleasant sound to me,

And the chirping of the cricket

And the humming of the bee.

March 3, 1864. Highland Weekly News 27(45): 1. For the News.