'Twould then rekindle faith within a breast,

Where doubt is now the sole remaining guest.

 The Darker Side.

They say that all nature is smiling and gay,

And the birds the most happy of all,

But the sparrow, pursued by the sparrowhawk,

Savors more of the wormwood and gall.

They say that all nature is smiling and gay,

But the groan may dissemble the laugh;

E'en now from the meadow is wafted the sound

Of a bovine bewailing her calf.

They say that all nature is smiling and gay,

But the moss often covers the rock;

Every animal form is beset by a foe,

For the wolf always follows the flock.

For the animal holds all inferior flesh

As its just and legitimate prey;

Every scream of the eagle a panic creates

As the weaker things scamper away.

They say that all nature is smiling and gay,

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