Wild Flowers 



growth, a crown of thorns hangs over the thrush's 

 nest; thorns for the mother, hope for the young. Is 

 there a crown of thorns over your heart? A spike 

 has gone deep enough into mine. The stile looks 

 farther away because boughs have pushed forward 

 and made it smaller. The willow scarce holds the sap 

 that tightens the bark and would burst it if it did not 

 enlarge to the pressure. 



Two things can go through the solid oak; the 

 lightning of the clouds that rends the iron timber, the 

 lightning of the spring the electricity of the sun- 

 beams forcing him to stretch forth and lengthen his 

 arms with joy. Bathed in buttercups to the dewlap, 

 the roan cows standing in the golden lake watched 

 the hours with calm frontlet; watched the light 

 descending, the meadows filling, with knowledge of 

 long months of succulent clover. On their broad 

 brows the year falls gently; their great, beautiful eyes, 

 which need but a tear or a smile to make them human, 

 without these, such eyes, so large and full, seem 

 above human life, eyes of the immortals enduring 

 without passion, in these eyes, as a mirror, nature is 

 reflected. 



I came every day to walk slowly up and down the 

 plain road, by the starry flowers under the ash-green 

 boughs; ash is the coolest, softest green. The bees 

 went drifting over by my head; as they cleared the 

 hedges they passed by my ears, the wind singing in 

 their shrill wings . White tent-walls of cloud a warm 

 white, being full to overflowing of sunshine stretched 

 across from ash-top to ash-top, a cloud-canvas roof, 

 a tent-palace of the delicious air. For of all things 

 there is none so sweet as sweet air one great flower 

 it is, drawn round about, over, and enclosing, like 

 Aphrodite's arms; as if the dome of the sky were a 



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