Page:The Writings of John Green Whittier (v.1).pdf/283

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AMONG THE HILLS.
273
"Unspoken homilies of peace Her daily life is preaching;The still refreshment of the dew Is her unconscious teaching.
"And never tenderer hand than hers Unknits the brow of ailing;Her garments to the sick man's ear Have music in their trailing.
"And when, in pleasant harvest moons, The youthful huskers gather,Or sleigh-drives on the mountain ways Defy the winter weather,—
"In sugar-camps, when south and warm The winds of March are blowing,And sweetly from its thawing veins The maple's blood is flowing,—
"In summer, where some lilied pond Its virgin zone is baring,Or where the ruddy autumn fire Lights up the apple-paring,—
"The coarseness of a ruder time Her finer mirth displaces,A subtler sense of pleasure fills Each rustic sport she graces.
"Her presence lends its warmth and health To all who come before it.If woman lost us Eden, such As she alone restore it.
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