Hush thee! hush thee! — not a word! —
'Tis the lovely humming-bird!
Like a spirit of the air
Coming from — we know not where!
Bursting on our raptured sight,
Like a vision of delight,
Circled in a radiant ring,
Oh, thou glory on the wing!
Thou'rt no thing of mortal birth —
Far too beautiful for earth —
But a thing of happy dreams,
Rainbow glories, heav'nly gleams;
Something fall'n from out the sky
To delight man's heart and eye
In this weary world of ours —
Wand'ring spirit of the flow'rs!

Thou'rt a wonder and a joy
To that happy little boy,
As in ecstasy he stands,
Gazing with uplifted hands.
In a rapture of surprise,
He devours thee with his eyes.
Thou shalt haunt him many a day,
Even when his locks are grey;
Thou'lt be a remember'd joy —
Happy, happy little boy!

Yonder old man's face the while
Brightens with a welcome smile —
Toiling at his daily duty,
He is startled by thy beauty;
Out of all his toils and cares
Thou hast ta'en him unawares —
Ta'en him in a moment back
O'er a long and weary track.
Once again the mountains grey
In that dear land far away,
And his father's humble cot,
Round him in a vision float —
And, despite of age and pain,
He's a little boy again.

Welcome! welcome, happy sprite!
Welcome, spirit of delight!
Deeper than the joy of wine
Or the ancient songs divine;
For my spirit thou dost carry
Back into the realms of Fairy.

Round my heart thou com'st to weave
Things we hope for and believe,
Things we've long'd for since our birth,
Things we've never found on earth;
Oh, how weary we would be
Save for visitants like thee!

But, like pleasure, lovely thing,
Thou art ever on the wing;
Like the things we wish to stay,
Thou'rt the first to pass away —
Flying like our hopes the fleetest,
Passing like the joy that's sweetest;
Even now, like music's tone,
Thou'rt a glory come and gone.