"There scattered oft, the earliest of the year, By hands unseen, are showers of violets found; The redbreast loves to build and warble there, And little footsteps lightly print the ground."
— European robin

January 1, 1970

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Added on April 10, 2026
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Birds
Original Language: English

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Gray omitted this beautiful verse from the first edition of his famous elegy, and it was restored by a later editor of his works. The original of the last two lines is to be found in the , and the translation of it by Wakefield is suggestive:Nor print the feathered warbler in the Spring His little footsteps lightly on my grave.