JSFiddle - React, Tailwind, and code Playground

HTML

<ul>
    
    <li><a href="#" class="button white" id="button1" onmouseout="closy(this)" onmouseover="showy(this)"><span id="spanToShow">SHOW: this text&nbsp;</span>on hover</a></li>
    
    <li><a href="#" class="button white" id="button2" onmouseout="closy(this)" onmouseover="showy(this)"><span>SHOW: this text&nbsp;</span>on hover</a></li>
    
</ul>

CSS

.button {
    text-decoration: none;
    font: 12pt Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;
    padding: .5em 1.5em .55em;
    text-shadow: 0 1px 1px rgba(0,0,0,.3);
    -webkit-border-radius: .5em;
    -moz-border-radius: .5em;
    border-radius: .5em;
    -webkit-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.2);
    -moz-box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.2);
    box-shadow: 0 1px 2px rgba(0,0,0,.2);
}

.white {
    color: #606060;
    border: solid 1px #b7b7b7;
    background: #fff;
}

ul {
    padding: 8px;
}

ul li {
    display:inline;
}

span {
    display:none;
}

JavaScript

function showy(itemName) {
    itemName.getElementsByTagName("span")[0].show("slow");
}
function closy(itemName) {
    itemName.getElementsByTagName("span")[0].hide("slow");