| Edmund Clarence Stedman, ed. (1833–1908). An American Anthology, 1787–1900. 1900. |
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| 443. To a Lily |
| | | By James Matthew Legaré |
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| GO bow thy head in gentle spite, | |
| Thou lily white, | |
| For she who spies thee waving here, | |
| With thee in beauty can compare | |
| As day with night. | 5 |
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| Soft are thy leaves and white: her arms | |
| Boast whiter charms. | |
| Thy stem prone bent with loveliness | |
| Of maiden grace possesseth less: | |
| Therein she charms. | 10 |
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| Thou in thy lake dost see | |
| Thyself: so she | |
| Beholds her image in her eyes | |
| Reflected. Thus did Venus rise | |
| From out the sea. | 15 |
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| Inconsolate, bloom not again. | |
| Thou rival vain | |
| Of her whose charms have thine outdone, | |
| Whose purity might spot the sun, | |
| And make thy leaf a stain. | 20 |
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