952 



Rural School Leaflet. 



with the growing corn-stalk in the following lines which describe Mon- 



damin: "And he saw a youth approaching, 



Dressed in garments green and yellow, 

 Coming through the purple twilight, 

 Through the splendor of the sunset : 

 Plumes of green bent o'er his forehead, 

 And his hair was soft and golden.' 



The children will be interested in the wrestling of Hiawatha with 



Mondamin: "Thrice they wrestled there together 

 In the glory of the sunset, 

 Till the darkness fell around them, 

 Till the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 

 From her haunts among the fen-lands. 

 Uttered her loud cry of famine. 

 And Mondamin paused to listen. 



"Tall and beautiful he stood there. 

 In his garments green and yellow ; 

 To and fro his plumes above him 

 AYaved and nodded with his breathing 

 And the sweat of the encounter 

 Stood like drops of dew upon him. 

 And he cried 'O Hiawatha! 

 Bravely have you wrestled with me. 

 Thrice have wrestled stoutly with me. 

 And the Master of Life, who sees us. 

 He will give to you the triumph!' 



"Then be smiled and said: 'To-morrow 

 Is the last day of your conflict. 

 Is the last day of your fasting. 

 You will conquer and o'ercome me; 

 Make a bed for me to lie in, 

 Where the rain may fall upon me. 

 Where the sun may come and warm mej 

 Strip these garments, green and yellow 

 Strip this nodding plumage from me, 

 Lay me in the earth, and make it 

 Soft and loose and light above me. 



" 'Let no hand disturb my slumber. 

 Let no weed nor worm molest me 

 Let not Kahgahgee, the raven. 

 Come to haunt me and molest mc, 

 Only come yourself to watch me. 

 Till I wake, and start, and quicken, 

 Till I leap into the sunshine.' " 



Again these lines: 



"And victorious Hiawatha 

 Made the grave as he commanded. 

 Stripped the garments from Mondamin 

 Stripped his tattered plumage from him, 

 Laid him on the earth, and made it 

 Soft and loose and light above him; 

 And the heron, the Shuh-shuh-gah, 

 From the melancholy moorlands, 

 Gave a cry of lamentation. 

 Gave a cry of pain and anguish! 



