338 THE BEAUTIES OF NATURE CHAP. 



scattered plants of blue Sea Holly, or yellow- 

 flowered Horned Poppies, Sea-kale, Sea Con- 

 volvulus, Saltwort, Artemisia, and Sea-grasses ; 

 the waves roll leisurely in one by one, and as 

 they reach the beach, each in turn rises up in 

 an arch of clear, cool, transparent, green 

 water, tipped with white or faintly pinkish 

 foam, and breaks lovingly on the sands ; 

 while beyond lies the open Sea sparkling in 

 the sunshine. 



. . . O pleasant Sea 

 Earth hath not a plain 

 So boundless or so beautiful as thine. 1 



The Sea is indeed at times overpoweringly 

 beautiful. At morning and evening a sheet 

 of living silver or gold, at mid-day deep blue ; 

 even 



Too deeply blue ; too beautiful ; too bright ; 

 Oh, that the shadow of a cloud might rest 

 Somewhere upon the splendour of thy breast 

 In momentary gloom. 2 



There are few prettier sights than the beach 

 at a seaside town on a fine summer's day ; 

 the waves sparkling in the sunshine, the water 



1 Campbell, 2 Holmes, 



