Youth. St. P. N. St. P. N. Why then, for aught I know, I may be made a bishop. Why, cardinal's a high degree, And yet my lot it possibly may be.. Suppose it was—what then? Why who can say of being pope one day? St. P. N. Well, having worn the mitres Youth. and red hat,9 As long as God shall please, then-Ï must die. ́ St. P. N. What? must you die! fond1 youth, and at the best BYROM. CAUTIONS: a. Avoid the verse-accent on as, and hurry on to old-writers. b. Avoid the verse-accent on into. c. Read this line as prose. d. The emphasis is on are. e. Hasten on to priest. f. The important word in this line is canon; and the rest ought to be read rapidly. g. Hasten on to chance. h. Nothing is the emphatic word. i. Emphasis on this. j. Hasten on to advice. k. Emphasis on may. MEANINGS: 1. St. Philip Neri, a famous priest who lived at Rome. 2. Sober, serious. 3. Fell into discourse, began to talk to him. 4. Dialogue, conversation between two or more persons. 5. Suppose it so, suppose that you are a priest. 6. Canon, a priest in a cathedral. 7. Cardinal, the highest rank in the Church of Rome next to the pope. 8. Mitre, cap of a bishop. 9. Red hat, cardinals wear a red hat with long strings, red stockings, and purple cloak. 10. Triple crown, three crowns on the mitre worn by the pope. 11. Dignity, rank. 12. Fond, silly. 13. Betide, happen. This poem was written by Mr. J. RUSSELL LOWELL, a Professor in Harvard College, Massachusetts, U.S. He is perhaps the most original poet in America, though he is not so well known as Mr. Longfellow. He was born in 1819. OH! what is so rare as a day in June? Then, if ever, come perfect days; Then Heaven tries the earth if it be in tune, And over it softly her warm car lays A DAY IN JUNE. Whether we look, or whether we listen, An instinct within it that reaches and towers,1 Thrilling back over hills and valleys; The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,2 The little bird sits at his door in the sun, With the deluge of summer it receives; And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings; Now is the high-tide of the year, And whatever of life hath ebbed away Comes flooding back, with a ripply cheer, Into every bare inlet and creek and bay; Now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it, We are happy now because God so wills it; No matter how barren the past may have been, 'Tis enough for us now that the leaves are green; We sit in the warm shade and feel right well How the sap creeps up We may shut our eyes, and the blossoms swell. but we cannot help knowing That skies are clear and grass is growing; That the breeze comes whispering in our ear, That corn has sprouted, that streams are flowing, That the river is bluer than the sky, That the robin is plastering his house hard by. For other couriers we should not lack; We could guess it all by yon heifer's lowingAnd hark! how clear bold chanticleer, Warmed with the new wine of the year, Tells all in his lusty crowing! Joy comes, grief goes, Everything is happy now, we know not how: Everything is upward striving; 157 "Tis as easy now for the heart to be true wake; Who knows whither the clouds have fled ? and ache. CAUTIONS: a. The chief quality in this poem to be attended to, is the great variety of the rhythms. Sometimes they are gay and rapid; sometimes slow and solemn; but throughout it is full of life and animal spirits. b. There are six sentences in the long "complex sentence" which constitutes this verse; but the voice must be sustained to the end. MEANINGS: 1. Towers, rises up as high as it can. 2. Chalice, cup. 3. Atilt, standing on tip-toe. 4. Courier, running messenger, from the French courir, to 5. Chanticleer, from the French chanter, to sing, and clair, clear; therefore="sing-clear." run. THE COMING OF SPRING. The variety of the verse is supposed to express the variety of the feelings produced by Spring. LAUD1 the first spring daisies; Chaunt aloud their praises; To the high hill's top; Tax not the strength of their young hands To increase your lands. Make handfuls into posies; Take them to the little girls who are at work in mills. Ah, pluck not a few! Knowest thou what good thoughts from heaven the violet instils* ? See, the birds together, In this splendid weather, Worship God (for He is God of birds as well as men). Sparrow, robin, redpole, finch, the linnet, and the wren. Trees their naked branches Clothe, and seek your pleasure in their green apparel. Keep no lent, but feast; Spring breathes upon the earth, and their joy's increased, MEANINGS 1. Laud, praise. 2. Instils, pours into us. THE LIGHTHOUSE. THE LIGHTHOUSE. 159 In this poem the lighthouse is regarded as a benefactor and a teacher. It is the friend and guide of sailors going and returning. It is the new Prometheus ;* it uses the light which it has received from heaven, to help on the progress and the best interests of man. into the sea, some miles away, masonry, THE rocky ledge runs far Even at this distance I can see the tidesa along its base: And as the evening darkens, lo! how bright- With strange unearthly splendour in its glare. They wave their silent welcomes and farewells. They come forth from the darkness, and their sails And eager faces, as the light unveils,3 Gaze at the tower, and vanish while they gaze. The mariner remembers, when a child, On his first voyage, he saw it fade and sink ;d serene, immovable, the same Steadfast, The startled waves leap over it; the storm Press the great shoulders of the hurricane. * Prometheus, in the old Greek story, was said to have stolen fire from heaven; the human race had before him known nothing of it or its use. For this he was chained to a rock by Jove (or Jupiter), and a vulture was set to feed on his liver, which always grew and renewed itself miraculously. The sea-bird wheeling round it, with the din says, "Sail on!" it ye stately ships! the ocean span; from all eclipse, nearer unto man! LONGFELLOW. CAUTIONS: a. Avoid the danger of placing the verse-accent upon at. The sense-accent, or emphasis, falls on this. b. Slur over and the. c. The pause after forth will enable the reader to escape the verse-accent on from. d. The sense-accent is on first: avoid the his. e. This is a noble verse, and should be read with great fulness and clearness. MEANINGS: 1. Subsides, sinks down. 2. Radiance, brilliance. 3. Unveils, is unveiled. 4. Scourges, the rain is thought of as composed of whips, lashing against the lighthouse: while the hurricane is a giant who tries to shoulder it out of existence. ODE ON THOSE WHO HAVE FALLEN IN BATTLE. This short and almost perfect ode was written by an eminent poet of the last century, WILLIAM COLLINS (1720-1756), who died insane at the early age of thirtyfive. It is written in a tranquil and contemplative style; and the rhythms are sweet and touching. It requires great care to read well. How sleep1 the brave who sink to rest, Than Fancy's feet By fairy hands By forms unseen have ever trod. their knell is rung; their dirge3 is sung; There Honour comes, a pilgrim grey,* To bless the turf that wraps their clay; To dwell a weeping hermit there. CAUTIONS: a. Great care must be taken, in this line especially, and also throughout the poem, not to read the poem as one would scan it. It would be intolerable to listen to How sleep the brave | who sink to rést. b. There is a mild emphasis on there. MEANINGS: 1. How sleep! That is, How quietly and sweetly sleep! 2. Hallowed mould, sacred clay. 3. Dirge, funeral hymn. 4. Grey, dressed in the grey dress of a pilgrim. 5. Repair, visit that spot. |