Page:Poems Sigourney 1827.pdf/44

So there his wondrous beauty woke
    Amid that hoary throng,
Like rosebud on some rugged oak
    Engrafted strange and strong.

In vain they sought of every guest
    His parentage to trace,
But his high brow and fearless breast
    Bespoke a generous race.

His grateful heart their love repaid,
    Contented with its lot,
Nor was his brave deliverer's aid
    In cold neglect forgot.

Him, by the fire he fondly placed,
    With flowers his head would deck,
And oft with ivory arms embraced
    His huge and stately neck.

That noble dog his sports would share,
    Observant when he smiled,
Or rousing with a lion's air
    Would guard the trusting child,

Who seated on his brawny back
    Oft ventured down the steep
With tiny staff to search the track
    Mid snowy valleys deep.

Their home amid this realm of frost,
    These men devout had made,
To seek the wandering, save the lost,
    And lend the dying aid.