By the Sea, and Other Verses

<h2><SPAN name="MIMOSA" id="MIMOSA">MIMOSA</SPAN></h2> <div class="poem"><div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">A modest plant; soft shades of green<br/></span> <span class="i2">In leaflets poised on slender stem;<br/></span> <span class="i0">And all outspread to catch the glow<br/></span> <span class="i2">Of morning sun or dew-drop gem.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">But, lo, what change! When finger-tips<br/></span> <span class="i2">But touch the leaflets' fringe, the charm<br/></span> <span class="i0">Of life is gone&mdash;Mimosa shrinks,<br/></span> <span class="i2">As conscious of some present harm.<br/></span></div> <div class="stanza"> <span class="i0">So would I have my soul recoil<br/></span> <span class="i2">From touch of wrong or thought of sin;<br/></span> <span class="i0">So throw its portals wide again,<br/></span> <span class="i2">To let the dew and sunshine in.<br/></span></div> </div> <hr class="chap" /><p><span class="pagenum"><SPAN name="Page_41" id="Page_41">[Pg 41]</SPAN></span></p> <div style="break-after:column;"></div><br />