" My brother was travelling one winter's day in
search of this cave, and passed for miles through a wood chiefly
composed of oak trees that were then leafless. The only foliage that
arrested his attention was that of the ivy, holly, and yew, and these
evergreens looked so beautiful that he occasionally stopped to admire
them without exactly knowing the reason why; after leaving the great
wood he reached a secluded village far away from what was called
civilisation, where he inquired the way to "Buckingham's Cave" from a
man who turned out to be the village wheelwright. In the course of
conversation the man informed him that he occasionally wrote poetry for
a local newspaper with a large circulation in that and the adjoining
counties. He complained strongly that the editor of the paper had
omitted one verse from the last poem he had sent up; which did not
surprise my brother, who inwardly considered he might safely have
omitted the remainder. But when the wheelwright showed him the poem he
was so pleased that he asked permission to copy the verses.
The fairest flower that ever bloomed
With those of bright array
In Seasons' changeful course is doomed
To fade and die away;
While yonder's something to be seen--
It is the lovely evergreen!
The pretty flowers in summer-time
Bring beauty to our land,
And lovely are the forest trees--
In verdure green they stand;
But while we gaze upon the scene
We scarcely see the evergreen!
But lo! the wintry blast comes on,
And quickly falls the snow;
And where are all the beauties gone
That bloom'd a while ago?
While yonder stands through winter keen
The lovely-looking evergreen!
Our lives are like a fading flower,
And soon they pass away,
And earthly joys may last an hour
To disappear at close of day;
But Saints in Heaven abide serene
And lasting, like the evergreen!
My brother felt that here he had found one of nature's poets, and no
longer wondered why he had admired the evergreen trees and bushes when
he came through the forest.
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