--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of…" description: "\"“A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes. The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies; While wakes the nodding blos..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/john-b-tabb-47381_birds_a-flash-of-harmless-lightning-a-mist-of_2185253.png" --- # A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes. The… ![“A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes. The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies; While wakes the nodding blossom But just too late to see What lip hath touched her bosom And drained her rosary.” quote by John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/john-b-tabb-47381_birds_a-flash-of-harmless-lightning-a-mist-of_2185253.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/john-b-tabb-47381_birds_a-flash-of-harmless-lightning-a-mist-of_2185253.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/eef/john-b-tabb-47381_birds_a-flash-of-harmless-lightning-a-mist-of_2185253.png) > ““A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes. The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies; While wakes the nodding blossom But just too late to see What lip hath touched her bosom And drained her rosary.”” [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The poem uses vivid natural imagery to convey fleeting beauty and missed opportunities in love. **In simple terms:** Brief, vivid images show love’s fleeting moments. Key Takeaway Cherish moments before they pass. Themes beauty transience love missed chances Mood melancholic contemplative Type poetic evocative When to use this quote - garden walks - first love - artistic inspiration - creative writing Key Concepts imagery symbolism romanticism Questions to Reflect On - What does the lightning symbolize for you? - How do you capture fleeting beauty? A Different Perspective Interpretation may vary; some see only nature. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Birds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birds/) [Blossom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/blossom/) [Flower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flower/) [Flowers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flowers/) [Gardening](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gardening/) [Hummingbirds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hummingbirds/) [Too late](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/too-late/) ## Related quotes > [A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-tabb/a-flash-of-harmless-lightning-a-mist-of-rainbow-dyes-the-burnished/) [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) > [Walk on a rainbow trail; walk on a trail of song, and all about you will be beauty. There is a way out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-motherwell/walk-on-a-rainbow-trail-walk-on-a-trail-of-song-and-all-about-you/) [Robert Motherwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-motherwell/) > [Hummingbirds are fun and flighty and strange. It's hard to keep them in one place, and Dad was a bit like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zelda-williams/hummingbirds-are-fun-and-flighty-and-strange-it-s-hard-to-keep-them/) [Zelda Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zelda-williams/) > [Some of my old memories feel trapped in amber in my brain, lucid and burning, while others are like the wing beat of a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-bartok/some-of-my-old-memories-feel-trapped-in-amber-in-my-brain-lucid-and/) [Mira Bartok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-bartok/) > [either you take in believing in miracles or you stand still like the hummingbird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-miller/either-you-take-in-believing-in-miracles-or-you-stand-still-like-the/) [Henry Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-miller/) > [Flutter like a hummingbird, Dive like an eagle, Ain't no bird that's my equal. - Twilight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-lasky/flutter-like-a-hummingbird-dive-like-an-eagle-ain-t-no-bird-that-s-my/) [Kathryn Lasky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-lasky/) > [I love devastating movies, documentaries and hummingbirds (yes, in that order).](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tig-notaro/i-love-devastating-movies-documentaries-and-hummingbirds-yes-in-that/) [Tig Notaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tig-notaro/) > [I'd like to be like a hummingbird. You see them every now and then. You don't see them everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shailene-woodley/i-d-like-to-be-like-a-hummingbird-you-see-them-every-now-and-then-you/) [Shailene Woodley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shailene-woodley/) > [My work is the world. Here the sunflowers, there the hummingbird - equal seekers of sweetness. Here the quickening yeast; there the blue plums...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-oliver/my-work-is-the-world-here-the-sunflowers-there-the-hummingbird-equal/) [Mary Oliver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-oliver/) > [furious flutter awakened hummingbird heart hello hello love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-mccafferty/furious-flutter-awakened-hummingbird-heart-hello-hello-love/) [Megan McCafferty](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-mccafferty/) > [There's as much chance of repealing the Eighteenth Amendment as there is for a hummingbird to fly to the planet Mars with the Washington…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morris-sheppard/there-s-as-much-chance-of-repealing-the-eighteenth-amendment-as-there/) Morris Sheppard > [“What was once a barren patch of earth is now alive with hummingbirds and butterflies… It didn’t take much money, just time, energy, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-breniman/what-was-once-a-barren-patch-of-earth-is-now-alive-with-hummingbirds/) [Ken Breniman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-breniman/) > [ I would say the hummingbird really deserves the royalties on \[some of my songs\]. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-cohen/i-would-say-the-hummingbird-really-deserves-the-royalties-on-some-of/) [Leonard Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-cohen/) > [A rhododendron bud lavender-tipped. Soon a glory of blooms to clash with the cardinals and gladden the hummingbirds!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dave-beard/a-rhododendron-bud-lavender-tipped-soon-a-glory-of-blooms-to-clash/) [Dave Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dave-beard/) > [After a few mouthfuls of moon-flavored air, even the stubbornly drowsy can find themselves wide-eyed.. All the normal noises of life were gone, leaving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/after-a-few-mouthfuls-of-moon-flavored-air-even-the-stubbornly-drowsy/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) ## More by John B. Tabb > [Alas! dear Joy, the merriest, is dead. But I have wed Peace ; and our babe, a boy, New-born, is Joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-tabb/alas-dear-joy-the-merriest-is-dead-but-i-have-wed-peace-and-our-babe/) [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) > [In every seed to breathe a flower, In every drop of dew To reverence a cloister star Within the distant blue; To wait the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-tabb/in-every-seed-to-breathe-a-flower-in-every-drop-of-dew-to-reverence-a/) [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) > [A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes, The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-tabb/a-flash-of-harmless-lightning-a-mist-of-rainbow-dyes-the-burnished/) [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) > [Why should I stay? Nor seed nor fruit have I, But, sprung at once to beauty's perfect round, Nor loss nor gain nor change…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-tabb/why-should-i-stay-nor-seed-nor-fruit-have-i-but-sprung-at-once-to/) [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) > [Out of the dusk a shadow, Then a spark; Out of the cloud a silence, Then a lark; Out of the heart a rapture,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-tabb/out-of-the-dusk-a-shadow-then-a-spark-out-of-the-cloud-a-silence-then/) [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) > [Hush! With sudden gush As from a fountain sings in yonder bush The Hermit Thrush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-tabb/hush-with-sudden-gush-as-from-a-fountain-sings-in-yonder-bush-the/) [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) > [And pray, who are you?" Said the Violet blue To the Bee, with surprise, At his wonderful size, In her eyeglass of dew. "I,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-b-tabb/and-pray-who-are-you-said-the-violet-blue-to-the-bee-with-surprise-at/) [John B. Tabb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) [Explore all 8 John B. Tabb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-b-tabb/) ## More Birds quotes > [“In East Sussex, let us say, an old farm sleeps in sun-dapple, its oast-house with its cowls echoing the distant steeple of SS Andrew…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-m-w-wemyss/in-east-sussex-let-us-say-an-old-farm-sleeps-in-sun-dapple-its-oast/) [G.M.W. Wemyss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-m-w-wemyss/) > [“If we studied birds ,maybe we could learn to be free.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-alire-s-enz/if-we-studied-birds-maybe-we-could-learn-to-be-free/) [Benjamin Alire Sáenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-alire-s-enz/) > [I don't like small birds. They hop around so merrily outside my window, looking so innocent. but I know that secretly, they're watching my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-don-t-like-small-birds-they-hop-around-so-merrily-outside-my-window/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Birds are an ecological litmus paper.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-tory-peterson/birds-are-an-ecological-litmus-paper/) [Roger Tory Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-tory-peterson/) > [“Birds fly with their wings, people with their happiness!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/birds-fly-with-their-wings-people-with-their-happiness/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [You would not think that birds who have no brain at all could become so friendly. I swear some of them are more intelligent…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-aston/you-would-not-think-that-birds-who-have-no-brain-at-all-could-become/) [Elizabeth Aston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-aston/) > [“If you see birds flying high in the sky, it means clear weather. However, if you see a lot of birds roosting on power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-mckay/if-you-see-birds-flying-high-in-the-sky-it-means-clear-weather/) [Brett McKay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-mckay/) > [I'm terrified of heights, but I think there's something really beautiful about birds and soaring, having a bird's-eye view of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindy-booth/i-m-terrified-of-heights-but-i-think-there-s-something-really/) [Lindy Booth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lindy-booth/) > [“It is as simple as that. Birds fly because they have wings and so when you can’t grow the wings, you can’t be called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/it-is-as-simple-as-that-birds-fly-because-they-have-wings-and-so-when/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [“The day we decide to drop the flimsy makeshift scenarios in our cluttered mind and eschew the ‘alleluias’ of self-importance, life can become genuine,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erik-pevernagie/the-day-we-decide-to-drop-the-flimsy-makeshift-scenarios-in-our/) [Erik Pevernagie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erik-pevernagie/) > [“I like the idea of songs sung by those without big voices. You know, small birdsongs that rise above the noise of the city.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyo-maclear/i-like-the-idea-of-songs-sung-by-those-without-big-voices-you-know/) [Kyo Maclear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyo-maclear/) > [At one point, I had close to 100 birds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/akira-toriyama/at-one-point-i-had-close-to-100-birds/) [Akira Toriyama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/akira-toriyama/) > [How can you expect the birds to sing when their groves are cut down?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-david-thoreau/how-can-you-expect-the-birds-to-sing-when-their-groves-are-cut-down/) [Henry David Thoreau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-david-thoreau/) > [“If birds can fend for themselves, it means there’s hope for our tomorrow.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abdulazeez-henry-musa/if-birds-can-fend-for-themselves-it-means-there-s-hope-for-our/) [Abdulazeez Henry Musa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abdulazeez-henry-musa/) > [Birds Fly in the Sky, because they don't know how to Cry! They know just one thing, to Sing!-RVM](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rvm/birds-fly-in-the-sky-because-they-don-t-know-how-to-cry-they-know/) RVM [Browse all 653 Birds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/birds/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A flash of harmless lightning, A mist of rainbow dyes. The burnished sunbeams brightening From flower to flower he flies; While wakes the nodding blossom But just too late to see What lip hath touched her bosom And drained her rosary.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "John B. 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