How changed the face of nature shows

Representative Text

How chang'd the face of nature shows,
How gay the rural scene!
A fairer bloom the flowers disclose,
The meads a livelier green.

While bounty clothes the fertile vale,
And blossoms on the spray,
And fragrance breathes in every gale,
How sweet the vernal day!

And hark! the feather'd warblers sing!
Tis nature's cheerful voice;
Soft music hails the lovely spring,
And woods and fields rejoice.

How kind the influence of the skies!
These showers, with blessings fraught,
Bid verdure, beauty, fragrance rise,
And fix the roving thought.

O let my wondering heart confess,
With gratitude and love,
The bounteous hand that deigns to bless
The garden, field, and grove.

That bounteous hand my thoughts adore,
Beyond expression kind,
Hath sweeter, nobler gifts in store,
To bless the craving mind.

That hand, in this hard heart of mine
Can make each virtue live,
And kindly showers of grace divine
Life, beauty, fragrance give.

O God of nature, God of grace,
Thy heavenly gifts impart!
And bid sweet meditation trace
Spring blooming in my heart!

Inspir'd to praise I then shall join
Glad nature's cheerful song:
And love and gratitude divine
Attune my joyful tongue.

Source: Miscellaneous Pieces in Verse and Prose #6

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

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