Nature’s Beauty Oh, Nature! thou art fair and free, With valleys sweet and mountains high, With skies that stretch eternally, And tender grass where soft winds sigh.

Each blossom blooms in time and grace, In colors bright, a tapestry, Creating a sacred, living space, For hearts that seek simplicity.

The river winds like memories lost, Reflecting stars in quiet pools, While fields of grain, at sunset tossed, Whisper their ancient, golden rules.

In every breeze, a tale is spun, Of life and love, of loss and gain, Through nature’s lens, our spirits run, To find what’s pure, to feel the rain.

— Excerpt from “Nature’s Beauty” (not an actual poem of Melville)

• Herman Melville