The rabbit leaps, The mouse out-creeps, The flag out-peeps Beside the brook; The ferret weeps, The marmot sleeps, The owlet keeps In his snug nook. The apples thaw, The ravens caw, The squirrels gnaw The frozen fruit. To their retreat I track the feet Of mice that eat The apple's root. The snow-dust falls, The otter crawls, The partridge calls, Far in the wood. The traveller dreams, The tree-ice gleams, The blue-jay screams In angry mood. The willows droop, The alders stoop, The pheasants group Beneath the snow. The catkins green Cast o'er the scene A summer's sheen, A genial glow.
'A Winter Scene' by Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
Artist Lucy Grossmith