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Winter twilights; or, Aunt Mary's new riddles
Winter twilights or Aunt Mary's new riddles Author:Mary Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: ENIGMA No. 5. Of various forms and sizes, In every clime I'm found; On castle nigh and lowly hut, ' And deep beneath the ground. Unlike most substances... more », I grow And flourish in the dark; Yet at my death I often glow With many a brilliant spark. My many virtues none can tell: By me do millions live; The healing art owes much to me, Great warmth and light I give. The lazy schoolboy hates my name, Yet eats me every day; But those who seek scholastic fame, To hunt me ne'er delay. You'll find me in the ocean cave. And in the river's bed, Various my colours, brown and green, Yellow, and white, and red. ENIGMA No. 6. A dangerous, wily thing, am I, Beware, beware of me ! Lurking beneath the primrose tufts, And boughs of hawthorn tree. Sparkling and bright, in crystal shrined, Yet poisonous to the taste, My votaries, alas ! will find Fame, health, and fortune waste. ENIGMA No. 7. A CHARADE. Come gentle first with all thy shadowy train, Soothe the tired limb, and tranquillize the brain ; Lull bees to rest, and minstrels of the bowers, And close the eyelids of the drooping flowers. She comes—now see beneath the chesnut trees The lady courser bend her slender knees ; While crouching near her, 'mid the herbage deep, Her little foal sinks peacefully to sleep. Tranquil my themes—alas ! not so united, Horror has seized me ! I am sore affrighted : Forth furious at me rushes a wild bull, Nostrils dilated, staring at me full! Dogs in the rear are tearing off my coat, And a great rat is gnawing at my throat. ENIGMA No. 8. Beneath earth's hard surface I quietly lie, Nor dream of the beauty that you will descry In my form, when relieved from its coating of earth, I blaze in the light which reveals my true worth. ...« less