leaf nor a blade too mean
To be some happy creature's palace;
The little bird sits at his door in the sun,
Atilt like a blossom among the leaves,
And lets his illumined being o'errun
With the deluge of summer it receives;
His mate feels the eggs beneath her wings,
And the heart in her dumb breast flutters and sings;
He sings to the wide world, and she to her nest,--
In the nice ear of Nature which song is the best?
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 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 and the blossoms swell;
We may shut our eyes, but we cannot help knowing
That skies are clear and grass is growing;
The breeze comes whispering in our ear,
That dandelions are blossoming near,
That maize has sprouted, that streams are flowing,
That the river is bluer than the sky,
That the robin is plastering his house hard by;
And if the breeze kept the good news back,
For other couriers we should not lack;
We could guess it all by yon heifer's lowing.--
And hark! how clear bold chanticleer,
Warmed with the new wine of the year,
Tells all in his lusty crowing!

Lowell

THE FIFTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD THE SAILOR

All the troubles and calamities I had undergone could not cure me of my
inclination to make new voyages. I therefore bought goods, departed with
them for the best seaport, and there, that I might not be obliged to
depend upon a captain, but have a ship at my own command, I remained
till one was built on purpose at my own charge. When the ship was ready,
I went on board with my goods: but not having enough to load her, I
agreed to take with me several merchants of different nations, with
their merchandise.

We sailed with the first fair wind, and after a long navigation the
first place we touched at was a desert island, where we found an egg of
a roc, equal in size to that I saw on a former voyage, fifty paces
round, and shining as a great white dome when seen even from afar. There
was a young roc in it, just ready to be hatched, and its bill ha