SUMMER NIGHT IX THE WOODS. 165 



As real objects are but faintly seen, by the same 

 cause the phantoms of darkness are made visible. 

 There are many things in the obscurity that assume 

 dubious and mysterious shapes, and excite the curiosity 

 blended with some apprehension. The branches are 

 pictured like the forms of birds and quadrupeds on the 

 sky, and every passing breeze seems to wake them into 

 life and motion. A beam of light appears on the plain, 

 or a shadow on the hill, reminding you of the dusky 

 form of a ghost, as it glides half visibly among the in 

 distinct forms of the trees. On a dark night almost all 

 objects are ambiguous. The trees that stand near the 

 borders of streams cast faint shadows upon them, that 

 are often mistaken for some real and indefinable objects 

 resting upon their starry surface. Every thing that 

 moves reminds you of a spirit; and many are the unin 

 telligible forms that stand around, -nodding their heads, 

 and, as it were, beckoning to some kindred monster. 

 You feel as if they were aware of your presence, and 

 were consulting together how they should regard your 

 intrusion into their dusky haunts. At such times the 

 creaking of a dry branch of a tree, when swayed by the 

 wind, will startle you, like the sudden and unexpected 

 approach of a person behind you. 



As night draws near its close, we begin to long for 

 the morn ; and the crowing of cocks from some neigh 

 boring farm yard affords a pleasant relief to our weari 

 ness, and an assurance of the nearness of dawn. The 

 little hair-bird, that utters his trilling note at intervals 

 throughout the night, is heard more frequently. At 

 length an occasional twitter from the birds, that every 

 where surround us, announces that morning is visible. 

 Nature always gives signs of- an approaching change ; 

 and morning dawn and evening twilight have their re- 



