William Cullen Bryant,
To the Fringed Gentian
“ Thou waitest late and com'st alone, When woods are bare and birds are flown, And frosts and shortening days portend The aged year is near his end. Then doth thy sweet and quiet eye Look through its fringes to the sky, Blue--blue--as if that sky let fall A flower from its cerulean wall. I would that thus, when I shall see The hour of death draw near to me, Hope, blossoming within my heart, May look to heaven as I depart. This work was published before January 1, 1928, and is in the public domain worldwide because the author died at least 100 years ago. ”
