--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Hope collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 15 number: 9 published: 1912-07 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Hope, "To the Sego Lily: A Poem," *Improvement Era* 15, no. 9 (July 1912): 761.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1509unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera1509unse start_page: 761 end_page: 761 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1912-07) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera1509unse publication_year: 1912 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1912, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # To the Sego Lily: A Poem To the Sego-Lily All hail thee, Sego-Lily, our State Flower ! Once more ye bloom and grace the passing hour. Thy petals shine beneath the skies of blue, Or stars reflect them in thy gathered dew. Thy wonder now, ah, can the artist paint? For thou art robed in beauty like a saint ; And spots of purple and of ruddy gold, In thy white chalice now we see thee hold. Ye watch not the light of the pallid moon, But rejoice in the blaze of sunny noon. How often, as now, ye have opened fair In the ancient stillness of desert air ; The painted savage, no doubt, in his pride, Has gathered thee oft to adorn his bride. As manna thou cam'st to the pioneer, When faint and aweary with hunger's fear. Upon graves ye lay that were dug in tears : This thought we will cherish in coming years. And now the Emblem thou art of our State — Through the years shall blossom and see it great ! —HOPE.