THE POWER OF GOD.

The Lord our God is full of might,

The winds obey his will ;
He speaks, and in his heavenly height,

The rolling sun stands still.

Rebel, ye waves, and o'er the land,

With threatening aspect roar;
The Lord uplifts his awful hand,

And chains you to the shore.

Howl, winds of night, your force combine;

Without His high behest, (1)
Ye shall not in the mountain pine,

Disturb the sparrows nest.

His voice sublime is heard afar,

In distant peals it dies ;
He yokes the whirlwinds to his car,

And sweeps the howling skies.

Ye nations bend, in reverence bend, .

Ye monarchs wait his nod,
And bid the choral song ascend,

To celebrate the God!

H. K. WHITE. (1) Behest-command. “For at his word the stormy wind ariseth, which lifted up the wayes thereof."

“For he maketh the storm to cease ; so that the waves thereof are still.”—Psalm 108th.

BIRDS.

Birds—birds ! ye are beautiful things,
With your earth treading feet and your cloud cleaving wings.
Where shall man wander, and where shall he dwell,
Beautiful birds, that ye come not as well ?

Ye have nests on the mountains all rugged aud stark : (1)
Ye have nests in the forests all tangled (2) and dark :
Ye build and ye brood 'neath the cottager's eaves,
And ye sleep on the sod ʼmid the bonnie green leaves ;
Ye hide in the heather, (3) ye lurk in the brake, (4)
Ye dive in the sweet flags (5) that shadow the lake :
Ye skim where the stream parts the orchard-decked land,
Ye dance where the foam sweeps the desolate strand.

Beautiful birds ! ye come thickly around,
When the bud's on the branch, and the snow on the ground ;
Ye come when the richest of roses flush out,
And ye come when the yellow leaf eddies about.

Beautiful birds ! how the schoolboy remembers
The warblers that chorused his holiday tune;
The Robin that chirped in the frosty Decembers,
The Blackbird that whistled through flower-crowned June.

That schoolboy remembers his holiday ramble,
When he pulled every branch of palm he could see,
When his finger was raised as he stopped in the bramble
With “Hark! there's the Cuckoo : how close he must be!"

(1) Stark—bare, naked.—(2) Entangled-knitted together.
(3) Heather-heath, a small plant.-(4) Brake-thicket of trees.

(5) Flags—a species of water plant.

Beautiful birds ! we've encircled (6) thy names
With the fairest of fruits and the fiercest of flames.
We paint war with his Eagle and peace with her Dove;
With the Redbolt of death, and the Olive of love:
The fountain of friendship is never complete,
Till ye coo o'er its waters so sparkling and sweet;
And where is the hand that would dare to divide
Even wisdom's grave self from the Owl by her side ?

Beautiful creatures of freedom and light!
Oh! where is the eye that groweth not bright
As it watches you trimming your soft glossy coats,
Swelling your bosoms, and ruffling your throats ;
Oh! I would not ask, as the old ditties sing,
To be “happy as sand-boy” or “happy as king ;”
For the joy is more blissful that bids me declare,
“I am as happy as all the wild birds in the air.”
I will tell them to find me a grave when I die,
Where no marble will shut out the glorious sky;
Let them give me a tomb where the daisy will bloom,
Where the moon will shine down and the leveret (7) pass by
But be sure there's a tree stretching out high and wide,
Where the Linnet, the Thrush, and the Woodlark may hide;
For the truest and purest of requiems (8) heard,
Is the eloquent hymn of the beautiful bird.

E. Cook.
(6) Encircled—surrounded.—(7) Leveret-a young hare.

(8) Requiems—hymns for the dead. I think this piece so admirably appeals to the choicest feelings of a schoolboy, that it needs no remark or commendation from me, to render it a great favourite among those who are destined to learn poetry from this small collection. If perfectly learnt it will fully reward the pupils patience and perseverance.

THE CHAMELEON.

Oft has it been my lot to mark, A proud, conceited talking spark, With eyes that hardly serv'd at most, To guard their master 'gainst a post; Yet round the world the blade has been, To see whatever could be seen. Returning from his finished tour, Grown ten times perter (1) than before; Whatever word you chance to drop, The travell’d fool your mouth will stop; “Sir, if my judgment you'll allow“I've seen-and sure I ought to know.” So begs you'd pay a due submission, And acquiesce (2) in his decision. Two travellers of such a cast, As o'er Arabia's wilds they past, And on their way, in friendly chat, Now talk'd of this, and then of that; Discours'd awhile, 'mongst other matter, Of the Chameleon's form and nature, “A stranger animal, “ cries one, “Sure never liv'd beneath the sun; “A lizard's body, lean and long, “A fish's head, a serpent's tongue, "Its foot with triple (3) claw disjoin'd « And what a length of tail behind ! “How slow its pace! and then its hue

“ Who ever saw so fine a blue ? (1) Perter-saucy, positive. (2) Acquiesce-agree, give in.

(3) Triple—three.

“Hold there,” the other quick replies,
“'Tis green, I saw it with these eyes,
“As late with open mouth it lay,
" And warm'd it in the sunny ray;
“Stretch'd at its ease the beast I viewd,
“And saw it eat the air for food.”
“ I've seen it, sir, as well as you,
“And must again affirm it blue;
“ At leisure I the beast survey'd,
“Extended in the cooling shade.”
“ 'Tis green, 'tis green, sir, I assure ye.”—
“Green !" cries the other in a fury;
“Why sir, d'ye think I've lost my eyes ?” —
“'Twere no great loss,” the friend replies;
“For if they always serve you thus,
“ You'll find them but of little use."

So high at last the contest rose,
From words they almost came to blows;
When luckily came by a third,
To him the question they referr'd,
And begg’d he'd tell them, if he knew,
Whether the thing was green or blue.

“Sirs,” cries the umpire, (4) “ cease your pother, (5) “The creature's neither one nor tother, “I caught the animal last night, “And view'd it o'er by candle light; "I mark'd it well—'twas black as jet

“ You stare—but sirs, I've got it yet, (4) Umpire--one who decides any question proposed to him.

(5) Pother-talk, noise or bustle.