Sonnet Iii. But Deck The Board;--For Hither Comes A Band Poem by Henry Alford

But deck the board;--for hither comes a band
Of pure young spirits, fresh arrayed in white,
Glistering against the newly--risen light;
Over the green and dew--impearlèd land
Blithsomely tripping forward, hand in hand:
Deck ye the board: and let the guest be dight
In gospel wedding--garment rich and bright,
And every bud that summer suns expand.
For you, ye humble ones, our thickets bloom:
Ye know the texture of each opening flower,
And which the sunshine, and which love the gloom.
The shrill of poisèd larks for many an hour
Ye watch; and all things gentle in your hearts
Have place, and play at call their tuneful parts.