Songs of the Fields 



to merit a volume by itself. The owl can enlarge 

 the retina, in order to see more clearly as he en- 

 ters darker places. The Almighty did few tilings 

 more wonderful than to evolve the eye of an ow\. 



I love all the music of nature, l)ut none is dearer 

 to the secret places of my heart than the Song of 

 the Road. The higlnvays are wonderful. They 

 appear to flow between the fields, climbing hills The Song 

 Avithout effort, sliding into valleys, and stretching of the Read 

 across plains farther than the eye or lens can fol- 

 low. All of mj^ roads have three well-defined 

 wheel tracks. There are two strongly marked that 

 e^'er^^ veliicle makes, and another only slightly out- 

 lined, made by those ^^assing on the way. Tiny 

 flowers of yellow sorrel, rank fennel, grass, dande- 

 lion, smartweed, and catnip grow to the fence cor- 

 ners, and these are filled with tall meadow rue, 

 milkweed, poke berry, goldenrod, asters, thistle, 

 saffron, teazel, and sumac sprouts. There are wild 

 roses, alders, maple, oak, and elm shrubs, and the 

 straggling old snake-fences are bound together 

 and upheld by bittersweet, wild grape, honeysuckle, 

 and moonseed. 



I love the morning road, when the air is yet 



tinged with the dampness and mystery of night. Chants 



when the foliage is sharply outlined against the *° *^® 



TT. ^ 1 ,".,. i-i Rising Sun 



reddenmg sky, and every bn"d smgs his chant as 



if he just had mastered it for a sublime offertory 



to a sun that never arose before. Hope is so high 



'^ 273 



