We roam the hills together,
In the golden summer weather,
Will and I;
And the glowing sunbeams bless us,
And the winds of heaven caress us,
As we wander hand in hand
Through the blissful summer land,
Will and I.
Where the tinkling brooklet passes
Through the heart of dewy grasses,
Will and I
Have heard the mock-bird singing,
And the field lark seen upspringing,
In his happy flight afar,
Like a tiny winged star--
Will and I.
Amid cool forest closes,
We have plucked the wild wood-roses,
Will and I;
And have twined, with tender duty,
Sweet wreaths to crown the beauty
Of the purest brows that shine
With a mother-love divine,
Will and I.
Ah! thus we roam together,
Through the golden summer weather,
Will and I;
While the glowing sunbeams bless us,
And the winds of heaven caress us,
As we wander hand in hand
O'er the blissful summer land,
Will and I.
_Paul H. Hayne._
* * * * *
CLOSES, small inclosed fields.
Write about what you and Will _saw, heard,_ and _did,_ as you roamed
together over the hills, through the woods, along the brooklet, on a
certain bright, clear day in early summer. You are a country boy and
Will is your city cousin. If you begin your composition by saying, "It
was a beautiful afternoon towards the end of June," keep the image of
the day in mind till the end of the paragraph; tell what _made_ the day
beautiful,--such as the sun, the sky, the trees, the grass. In other
paragraphs tell the things you saw and heard in the order in which you
saw and heard them. Give a paragraph to what you did in the "closes" of
the cool forest, and why you plucked the wild flowers. Conclude by
telling what a pleasant surprise you gave mother on your return home;
and how she surprised you two hungry boys during supper.
In your composition, use as many of the words and phrases of the poem as
you can.
* * * * *
_66_
themes
her' e sy
ramp' ant
a chieved'
es cort ed
po ta'toes
trem' u lous
lux u' ri ous
cre du' li ty
in cred' i ble
phe nom' e non
pre ma ture' ly