| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 935. An Early Bluebird |
| | | By Maurice Thompson |
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| LEAP to the highest height of spring, | |
| And trill thy sweetest note, | |
| Bird of the heavenly plumes and twinkling wing | |
| And silver-tonëd throat! | |
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| Sing, while the maple’s deepest root | 5 |
| Thrills with a pulse of fire | |
| That lights its buds. Blow, blow thy tender flute, | |
| Thy reed of rich desire! | |
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| Breathe in thy syrinx Freedom’s breath, | |
| Quaver the fresh and true, | 10 |
| Dispel this lingering wintry mist of death | |
| And charm the world anew! | |
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| Thou first sky-dipped spring-bud of song, | |
| Whose heavenly ecstasy | |
| Foretells the May while yet March winds are strong, | 15 |
| Fresh faith appears with thee! | |
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| How sweet, how magically rich, | |
| Through filmy splendor blown, | |
| Thy hopeful voice set to the promise-pitch | |
| Of melody yet unknown! | 20 |
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| O land of mine (where hope can grow | |
| And send a deeper root | |
| With every spring), hear, heed the free bird blow | |
| Hope’s charmëd flute! | |
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| Ah! who will hear, and who will care, | 25 |
| And who will heed thy song, | |
| As prophecy, as hope, as promise rare, | |
| Budding to bloom ere long? | |
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| From swelling bulbs and sprouting seed, | |
| Sweet sap and fragrant dew, | 30 |
| And human hearts, grown doubly warm at need, | |
| Leaps answer strong and true: | |
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| We see, we hear (thou liberty-loving thing, | |
| That down spring winds doth float), | |
| The promise of thine empyrean wing, | 35 |
| The hope that floods thy throat! | |
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