Star.
London, England, 1828-04-02 00:00:00

HYMN.

FROM THE MIRROR OF LITERATURE.
Rise, oh! my Soul, with thy desires to Heaven,

And with divinest contemplations use
Tby time, where Time's eternity is given,
And let vain thoughts no more thy thoughts abuse;
rut down in darkness let them lie—
To bye thy better, let thy worse thoughts die!

And thou, my oul, inspired with holy Game,

View and revievrg with most regardful eye,
That Holy Cross, whence thy salvation came,
On which thy &Ilona and thy sin did die!
For in that sacred object is much pleasure,
And in that Samoa Is my life's treasure !
To thee, 0 Jaw ! I direct my eyes—

To thee my hands, to thee my humble knees,
To thee my heart shall offer sacrifice!
To thee my thoughts, who my thoughts only sea:
To thee myself—myself and all I give—
To thee I die, to thee I only live !
Sin WALTER RAL2IGH.

APRIL.
PROM THE COMPANION TO THE BRITISH ALAIANACK.

There is nothing in the appearances of nature which
strikes even the most careless observer with such plea-
sure and surprise as the suddenness with which, in this
month, the trves• put on their green and flowery gar-
ments. The name of April is derived from a word
which signifies to open. The fickleness of its days—its
light clouds pouring out their refreshing showers, and
thee passing away to give place to the invigorating
sunshine—iV the cause of this sudden opening of the
riciii•ess of the woods and gardens, which almost justi-
fies Ihe commorc phrase, that" we may now see things
glow." The cherry trees are now sprinkled over with
their white blossoms ; while the apple trees are even
gayer, with their more varied colours. The lilac exhi-
bits clusters of delicate flowers; the honeysuckle
twines its rich green tendrils and its sweet scented
blossoms around the cottage porch, or the little bower;
and the laburnum drops its golden chains in graceful
profusion. The stock gilliflower, and the star anemone,
are added to the garden flowers. Every thing is bright,
and every thing is full of promise.
The Sluing is a season of gladness ; and it does not
want an echo of the universal joy, The singing of birds
is now general. The rambler of the fields is in this
month first startled and pleased with the voice of the
solitary cuckoo. The ordinary songs of birds may pass
over the ear without exciting any particular emotion;
but the nate of the cuckoo always tails up some asso-
ciat on, either of ple.hute or melancholy, and carries
our thoughts back to the Springs that are passed, by a
chain of connecting remembrances. Towards the end
of this month the swallow tribe return to pass the sum•
mer with us. We are almost in complete ignorance as
to the habits of these birds in the winter. With the
swallow come also the remaining birds of passage, or
they arrive scion after—the martin, the swift, the black-
cap, the redstart, and the yellow wiliow wren.
The meadows begin to assume the most variegated
appearance. The daisy is still bright ; and the cowslip,
the crowfoot, and the harebell, are dotted with it over
the green turf. Of the less favourite field flowers, we
Dive now the ladies smock, the wood anemone, the
dandelion, the wood sorrel, and the wild yellow tulip,
in profusion.