| Hunt and Lee, comps. The Book of the Sonnet. 1867. | | | | I. The Robin | | By Jones Very (1813–1880) |
| | | THOU need’st not flutter from thy half-built nest, | |
| Whene’er thou hear’st man’s hurrying feet go by, | |
| Fearing his eye for harm may on thee rest, | |
| Or he thy young unfinished cottage spy; | |
| All will not heed thee on that swinging bough, | 5 |
| Nor care that round thy shelter spring the leaves, | |
| Nor watch thee on the pool’s wet margin now, | |
| For clay to plaster straws thy cunning weaves; | |
| All will not hear thy sweet outpouring joy, | |
| That with morn’s stillness blends the voice of song; | 10 |
| For over-anxious cares their souls employ, | |
| That else upon thy music borne along, | |
| And the light wings of heart-ascending prayer, | |
| Had learned that Heaven is pleased thy simple joys to share. | | | | |
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