“IF”
IF all the flowers in all the world
Were changed to shining gold,
And every bush in the garden hung
As full as its boughs would hold;
If every tree in the groves and woods
Was glistening silvery white
With dollars and halves and quarters, too,
Solid and round and bright,—
Would all the silver and all the gold
Make earth a lovelier place?
We'd sigh for sight of an opening rose,
Or a pansy's dewy face.
We'd give the glaring blossoms away,
And all the silver sheen,
For dear Dame Nature's tender flowers,
And leaves of beautiful green.
Sidney Dayre.