From Anacreon: Ode Xxxviii Poem by Peter John Allan

ON THE SPRING.

Lo! Spring appears in mantle green,
And flowers are welcoming their queen;
Mark how the duck, in sportive mood,
Dives 'neath the gently-swelling flood;
See how the crane pursues his way;
Creation hails the genial day;
Behold! the clouds have ta'en their flight-
What cheerful prospects bless the sight!
How beauteously the olives bloom,
Fair tokens of earth's fruitful womb!
Now cast thine eyes on yonder vine,
Whence, Bacchus, flows thy blood divine
See how, 'mid leaflet, branch, and shoot,
Clusters the ruby-coloured fruit.