Tell Me
TELL me how the bluebird sings,
Balanced high on yonder tree,
Flinging to the hungry winds
All its grief or ecstasy.
Tell me how the cherries grow,
Nodding by the window pane;
Gathering from day and night
Nectared juice and crimson stain.
Tell me how the tints are caught
In the bosom of the shell;
Tell me what the perfume means,
Breathing in the lily bell.
Tell me how the sunbeam shines,
How the crystal's form is wrought,
How electric currents move,
Tell how thought responds to thought.
Who shall tell me what I ask?
Who the heights and depths may scan,
So to lift the veil that hides
Nature's primal touch from man?
Language vainly seeks to teach
This celestial range of arts;
Tell me! Is the ceaseless cry
Rising from unanswered hearts.
M. E. N. H.