First flower of the warming earth I rest beside thee on this hillside's girth, And watch thee dancing in the frenzied breeze The dazzling sun its rays to please. It says these days of cold shall cease Your brilliant bells of radiance shine And with such silence gloriously chime Ring in the Spring! Ring out the time! Adieu mon ami! For auld lang syne! The past, like a shadow, haunts the day, Arise, let's climb, and come what may. In years to come some youthful bard Will look upon thy pure sweet joy, And sing that this was as it always was, But a hope reborn.