vi PREFATORY 



yard square, with its barbaric splendors of color, 

 I worshiped like any Parsee. When I planted 

 the dry, brown seeds I noticed how they were 

 shaped, like crescents, with a fine line of orna- 

 mental dots, a " beading " along the whole length 

 of the centre, from this crescent sprang the 

 Marigold plant, each of whose flowers was like 



" a mimic sun, 

 With ray-like florets round a disk-like face." 



In my childish mind I pondered much on this 

 fact of the crescent growing into the full-rayed 

 orb. Many thoughts had I of all the flowers I 

 knew ; very dear were they, so that after I had 

 gathered them I felt sorry, and I had a safe place 

 between the rocks to which I carried them when 

 they were withered, and hid them away from all 

 eyes, they were so precious even then. 



The dear flowers ! Summer after summer they 

 return to me, always young and fresh and beauti- 

 ful ; but so many of the friends who have watched 

 them and loved them with me are gone, and they 

 return no more. I think of the lament of Mos- 

 chus for Bion : 



" Ah me, when the Mallows wither in the gar- 

 den, and the green Parsley, and the curled ten- 

 drils of the Anise, on a later day they spring, in 

 another year; but we men, we, the great and 

 mighty, or wise, when once we have died, in hol- 

 low earth we sleep, gone down into silence." 



