quote · Legacy record
The blackbird early leaves its rest To meet the smiling morn, And gather fragments for its nest From upland, wood, and lawn. The busy bee that wings its way ’Mid sweets of varied hue, At every flower would seem to say— “There’s work enough to do.” The cowslip and the spreading vine, The daisy in the grass, The snowdrop and the eglantine, Preach sermons as we pass. The ant within its cavern deep, Would bid us labour too, And writes upon its tiny heap, “There’s work enough to do.” The planets, at their Maker’s will, Move onward in their cars, For Nature’s wheel is never still— Progressive as the stars! The leaves that flutter in the air, And summer breezes woo, One solemn truth to man declare— “There’s work enough to do.”
The blackbird early leaves its rest To meet the smiling morn, And gather fragments for its nest From upland, wood, and lawn. The busy bee that wings its way ’Mid sweets of varied hue, At every flower would seem to say— “There’s work enough to do.” The cowslip and the spreading vine, The daisy in the grass, The snowdrop and the eglantine, Preach sermons as we pass. The ant within its cavern deep, Would bid us labour too, And writes upon its tiny heap, “There’s work enough to do.” The planets, at their Maker’s will, Move onward in their cars, For Nature’s wheel is never still— Progressive as the stars! The leaves that flutter in the air, And summer breezes woo, One solemn truth to man declare— “There’s work enough to do.”
In print by 1888 AD · industrial
Recorded in a printed collection by this date; the original date of these words is still unknown.
Meaning not yet available
An individual explanation has not yet been added. We do not substitute a generic description for an interpretation of these particular words.
Begin with source-checked readings and explanations ↗Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- J. Burbidge (identity unresolved)
Attribution: unknown - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- In print by 1888 AD · industrial
In print by 1888: recorded in A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888). Collection publication is an upper bound for this wording, not its earliest origin, composition date or the author's lifetime.
An author lifetime, approximate period or collection date is not necessarily the date when these words were first written or spoken. - Recorded source
- A Cyclopædia of Sacred Poetical Quotations (catalogued1888) (1888 AD)
Page 686 · printed citation: J. Burbidge · subject: WORKS—WORK
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.