THE SI N 251 



daylight that precedes the rising of the sun, is the 

 aurora or morning twilight. In the meantime a lark, 

 the joy of the fields, takes wing to the highest clouds, 

 like a rocket, and is the first to salute the awakening 

 day. It mounts and mounts, always singing, as if to 

 get in front of the sun; and with its enthusiastic 

 songs it celebrates in the high heavens the glory of 

 tin- day-bringer. Listen: there is a breath of wind 

 in the foliage, which stirs and rustles ; the little birds 

 an- waking up and chirping; the ox, already led to 

 work in the fields, stops as if thinking, raises its 

 ge eyes full of gentleness, and lows; everything 

 becomes animated, and, in its own language, ren- 

 ders thanks to the Master of all things, who with 

 His powerful hand brings us back the sun. 



And here it is: a bright thread of light bursts 

 forth, and the tops of the mountains are suddenly 

 illumined. It is the edge of the sun beginning to 

 rise. The earth trembles before the radiant ap- 

 parition. The shining disc keeps rising: there it 

 is almost whole, now completely so, like a grind- 

 ston<> of red-hot iron. The mist of the morning 

 moderates its glare and allows one to look it in the 

 face; but soon no one could endure its dazzling 

 splendor. In the meantime its rays inundate the 

 plain; a gentle heat succeeds the keen freshness of 

 the nielli; the mists rise from the depths of the 

 valleys and are dissipated: the dew, -at In-red on 

 the leaves, becomes warm and evaporates; on all 

 sides there is a resumption of life, of the animation 

 suspended during the ni.irht. And all day, pur-iim- 

 xmrse from east to west, the sun moves on, Mood 



