AUGUST DAYS 



from the aerial path, where he wends 

 his southward way, high and distinct 

 above the shrill monotony of crickets 

 and August pipers. The listening sports- 

 man may well imagine that the depart- 

 ing bird is laughing at him as much as 

 signaling his course to companion way- 

 farers. 



The woodland thrushes' flutes and 

 bells have ceased to breathe and chime, 

 only the wood pewee keeps his pensive 

 song of other days, yet best befitting 

 those of declining summer. 



The trees are dark with ripened leaf- 

 age ; out of the twilight of the woodside 

 glow the declining disks of wild sun- 

 flowers and shine the rising constella- 

 tions of asters. The meadow sides are 

 gay with unshorn fringes of goldenrod 

 and willow-herb, and there in the corners 

 of the gray fences droop the heavy clus- 

 ters of elderberries, with whose purple 

 juice the flocking robins and the young 

 grouse, stealing from the shadowed 

 copses along this belt of shade, dye their 

 bills. 



The brook trails its attenuated thread 

 out of the woodland gloom to gild its 

 "5 



