Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 43.djvu/30

 One more example of this variety of illustrated verse will suffice, and in the one I have chosen the meaning is confessedly obscure, or at least deep enough to require some thought. The picture, or sketch, is one of a bunch of wild flowers (chrysanthemums), which make their first appearance during the closing days of September, by which time, also, the cheery voice of the locust has been hushed by the increasing cold of the autumn:

 Though September's last days are fast ebbing away, And the locust's bright sonnet is stilled, Yet the wild flowers fair breathe a far sweeter song While the air with their fragrance is filled.

In justice it must be confessed that the imi of the above lines is rather vague, but may be regarded as a reminder of Nature's kind compensation, for, with the change of seasons, one beauty is



scarcely missed before another has filled its place. Perhaps the words may be construed as a gentle reproof to discontented spirits. That the very heart of the nation finds its voice in song is quite evident, for in every instance where a sonnet or poem would find application we are sure to find one. During the time of the cherry and plum blossoms, in early spring, the bloom-laden branches are further ornamented by numerous sonnets inspired by the beauty of the scene—written on strips of white paper, and then made fast to the low-hanging branches. Indeed, the poetic enthusiasm of a score of Orlandos in the forests of Arden would be put to shame. Every season of the year, with the flowers that