Summer

[...]

Th' unfruitful rock, itself impregn'd by thee,

In dark retirement forms the lucid stone.

The lively Diamond drinks thy purest rays,

Collected light, compact; that, polish'd bright,

And all its native lustre let abroad,

Dares, as it sparkles on the fair-one's breast,

With vain ambition emulate her eyes.

At thee the Ruby lights its deepening glow,

And with a waving radiance inward flames.

From thee the Sapphire, solid ether, takes

Its hue cerulean; and, of evening tinct,

The purple-streaming Amethyst is thine.

With thy own smile the yellow Topaz burns.

Nor deeper verdure dyes the robe of Spring,

When first she gives it to the southern gale,

Than the green Emerald shows. But, all combin'd,

Thick thro' the whitening Opal play thy beams;

Or, flying several from its surface, form

A trembling variance of revolving hues,

As the site varies in the gazer's hand.

[...]