Author Description

Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SUMMER QUARTER. Now golden Summer o'er the Land abroad Displays the goodness of a bounteous God: What pleasing objects round us now combine To show the wonder-working hand Divine! This earth, extending far and wide, Round Sol pursues her annual way, And thus our isle, at summer's tide, Directly greets the god of day. The vernal quarter passed away, The Summer season now prevails, When heat oppresses'through the day The cattle, as the water fails. Pursu'd swift by the stinging breeze, Frantic, with headlong speed, they run, And find beneath the spreading trees A shady covert from the sun. Here, too, the horse obtains respite From tickling and tormenting flies, Which, while abroad, from morn to night Invade his nostrils, ears, and eyes. Beneath the spreading tree or bush, Throughout the lazy torrid day, Their bushy tails are plied to brush The drony noisome flies away. Thus, God in trees for them provides A refuge, where they may repair, While the malignant Sirius rides Triumphant through the sultry air! Is it not well the trees put forth Their leaves amid the Summer heat, And not when Boreas, from the north, Tells us we need no cool retreat? Were there no shade to which to run To screen them from the burning sky, The herds, beneath the summer sun, Would pant, and on the mountain die! Therefore, as winter stern recedes, And Sol winds slowly up the sky, Anon, the vernal goddess leads Abroad her leafy progeny. Nor does she cease her progress till The day attains its greatest length; And then supinely standeth still, Exulting in her shadowing strength. a In my view, the dog-star I ma no unpropitioiu influence. Around, on every hand, we ken The shade of hedges or of trees, Affording both to beasts and men A cooling fort of rest a...