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106 ANNA MARIA WELLS. Oh! beautiful the daily toil To work that priceless mine! But deemest thou its golden ore Refined shall still be thine? Dreamer! Those laughing boys that round Thy hearth unconscious play,- Voices already in their hearts Are whispering, "Come away!" Though warmly smile beam back to smile, And answering heart to heart, They meet in gladness who too oft Have only met to part. Then bind not earthly ties too close, But hope let Heaven sustain; There and there only mayst thou say, "We'll never part again!" THE SEA-BIRD. Sea-bird! haunter of the wave, Happy o'er its crest to hover; Half-engulph'd where yawns the cave Billow form in rolling over. Sea-bird! seeker of the storm, In its shriek thou dost rejoice; Sending from thy bosom warm, Answer shriller than its voice. Bird of nervous wing and bright, Flashing silvery to the sun, Sporting with the sea-foam white, When will thy wild course be done? ANNA MARIA WELLS. 107 Whither tends it? Has the shore No alluring haunt for thee? Nook with tangled vines run o'er, Scented shrub, or leafy tree? Is the purple sea-weed rarer Than the violet of spring? Is the snowy foam-wreath fairer Than the apple's blossoming? Shady grove and sunny slope, Seek but these, and thou shalt meet Birds not born with storm to cope, Hermits of retirement sweet. Where no winds too rudely swell, But, in whispers as they pass, Of the fragrant flow'ret tell, Hidden in the tender grass. There, the mock-bird sings of love; There, the robin builds his nest; There, the gentle-hearted dove, Brooding, takes her blissful rest. Sea-bird, stay thy rapid flight:- Gone!- were dark waves foam and dash, Like a lone star on the night From afar his white wings flash! He obeyeth God's behest: Each and all some mission fill; Some, the tempest born to breast, Some, to worship and be still. If to struggle with the storm On life's ever-changing sea, Where cold mists enwrap the form, My harsh destiny must be;