| SEE how the flowers, as at parade, | |
| Under their colours stand display'd: | |
| Each regiment in order grows, | |
| That of the tulip, pink, and rose. | |
| But when the vigilant patrol | 5 |
| Of stars walks round about the pole, | |
| Their leaves, that to the stalks are curl'd, | |
| Seem to their staves the ensigns furl'd. | |
| Then in some flower's belovèd hut | |
| Each bee, as sentinel, is shut, | 10 |
| And sleeps so too; but if once stirr'd, | |
| She runs you through, nor asks the word. | |
| O thou, that dear and happy Isle, | |
| The garden of the world erewhile, | |
| Thou Paradise of the four seas | 15 |
| Which Heaven planted us to please, | |
| But, to exclude the world, did guard | |
| With wat'ry if not flaming sword; | |
| What luckless apple did we taste | |
| To make us mortal and thee waste! | 20 |
| Unhappy! shall we never more | |
| That sweet militia restore, | |
| When gardens only had their towers, | |
| And all the garrisons were flowers; | |
| When roses only arms might bear, | 25 |
| And men did rosy garlands wear? | |
