See the slow reptile grov'ling o'er the green,
That trails thro' slimy paths its cumbrous load,
Start in new beauty from the lowly scene,
And wing with flutt'ring pride th' aetherial road;
Burst their shell-prisons, see the feather'd kind,
Where in dark durance pent awhile they lie,
Dispread their painted plumage to the wind,
Brush the brisk air, swift shooting thro' the sky,
Hail with their choral hymns the new-born day,
Distend their joy-swoln breasts, and carol the sweet lay.