THE GREAT SINGERS. 



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52. THE GREAT SINGERS. 



THE poets are lovers of 

 children, flowers, and birds. 

 Without the song of birds, 

 the summer would be as 

 cheerless as if it were 

 without children and flow- 

 ers. But there is a differ- 

 ence in the power and 

 sweetness of bird-song, as 

 there is a difference in the 

 beauty of flowers and the 

 attractiveness of children. 



The English poets lead 

 us to think that no feath- 

 ered songsters can compare 

 with the sky-lark and the 



nightingale. The poet European Nightingale. 



Montgomery tells us something of their habits: 



"The bird that soars on highest wing, 

 Builds on the ground her lowly nest ; 



And she that doth most sweetly sing, 

 Sings in the shade when all things rest. 



In lark and nightingale we see 

 What honor hath humility." 



The nightingale, called Philomel, seems to have been 

 the favorite bird of Milton : 



" Sweet bird, that shun'st the noise of folly, 



Most musical, most melancholy, 

 Thee, chantress, oft the woods among 

 I woo, to hear thy evening song." 



