chapter 4
) R.L. Stevenson The Lost Galleon (poem) Bret Harte Stolen Treasure Howard Pyle Jack Ballister's Fortunes " " Buried Treasure R.B. Paine The Last Buccaneer (poem) Charles Kingsley The Book of the Ocean Ernest Ingersoll Ocean Life in the Old Sailing-Ship Days J.D. Whidden
For Portraits of Miss Johnston, see Bookman, 20:402; 28:193.
THE GRASSHOPPER
EDITH M. THOMAS
Shuttle of the sunburnt grass, Fifer in the dun cuirass, Fifing shrilly in the morn, Shrilly still at eve unworn; Now to rear, now in the van, Gayest of the elfin clan: Though I watch their rustling flight, I can never guess aright Where their lodging-places are; 'Mid some daisy's golden star, Or beneath a roofing leaf, Or in fringes of a sheaf, Tenanted as soon as bound! Loud thy reveille doth sound, When the earth is laid asleep, And her dreams are passing deep, On mid-August afternoons; And through all the harvest moons, Nights brimmed up with honeyed peace, Thy gainsaying doth not cease. When the frost comes, thou art dead; We along the stubble tread, On blue, frozen morns, and note No least murmur is afloat: Wondrous still our fields are then, Fifer of the elfin men!
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY
Why is the grasshopper called a "shuttle"? What does the word _still_ mean here? Who are the "elfin clan"? By whom is the sheaf tenanted? What is a _reveille_? Does the grasshopper chirp at night? Why is its cry called "gainsaying"?
See how simple the meter (measure) is in this little poem. Ask your teacher to explain how it is represented by these characters:
-u-u-u- -u-u-u-
[Transcriber's note: The u's represent breve marks in the text]
Note which signs indicate the accented syllables. See whether or not the accent comes at the end of the line. The rhyme-scheme is called a _couplet_, because of the way in which two lines are linked together. This kind of rhyme is represented by _aa_, _bb_, _cc_, etc.
EXERCISES
Find some other poem that has the same meter and rhyme that this one has. Try to write a short poem of five or six couplets, using this meter and rhyme. You do not need to choose a highly poetic subject: Try something very simple.
Perhaps you can "get a start" from one of the lines given below:--
1. Glowing, darting dragon-fly. 2. Voyager on dusty wings (A Moth). 3. Buzzing through the fragrant air (A Bee). 4. Trembling lurker in the gloom (A Mouse). 5. Gay red-throated epicure (A humming-bird). 6. Stealthy vagrant of the night (An Owl). 7. Flashing through your crystal room (A Gold-fish). 8. Fairyland is all awake. 9. Once when all the woods were green. 10. In the forest is a pool.
COLLATERAL READINGS
On the Grasshopper and Cricket John Keats To the Grasshopper and the Cricket Leigh Hunt Little Brother of the Ground Edwin Markham The Humble Bee R.W. Emerson The Cricket Percy Mackaye The Katydid " " A Glow Worm (in _Little Folk Lyrics_) F.D. Sherman Bees " " " " " "
MOLY
EDITH M. THOMAS
The root is hard to loose From hold of earth by mortals, but Gods' power Can all things do. 'Tis black, but bears a flower As white as milk. (Chapman's Homer.)
Traveller, pluck a stem of moly, If thou touch at Circe's isle,-- Hermes' moly, growing solely To undo enchanter's wile. When she proffers thee her chalice,-- Wine and spices mixed with malice,-- When she smites thee with her staff To transform thee, do thou laugh! Safe thou art if thou but bear The least leaf of moly rare. Close it grows beside her portal, Springing from a stock immortal,-- Yes, and often has the Witch Sought to tear it from its niche; But to thwart her cruel will The wise God renews it still. Though it grows in soil perverse, Heaven hath been its jealous nurse, And a flower of snowy mark Springs from root and sheathing dark; Kingly safeguard, only herb That can brutish passion curb! Some do think its name should be Shield-heart, White Integrity.
Traveller, pluck a stem of moly, If thou touch at Circe's isle,-- Hermes' moly, growing solely To undo enchanter's wile!
NOTES
=Chapman's Homer=:--George Chapman (1559?-1634) was an English poet. He translated Homer from the Greek into English verse.
=moly=:--An herb with a black root and a white flower, which Hermes gave to Odysseus in order to help him withstand the spell of the witch Circe.
=Circe=:--A witch who charmed her victims with a drink that she prepared for them, and then changed them into the animals they in character most resembled.
=Hermes=:--The messenger of the other Greek gods; he was crafty and eloquent.
=The wise God=:--Hermes, or Mercury.
SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY
Before you try to study this poem carefully, find out something of the story of Ulysses and Circe: when you have this information, the poem will become clear. Notice how the author applies the old Greek tale to the experiences of everyday life. This would be a good poem to memorize.
COLLATERAL READINGS
On First Looking into Chapman's Homer John Keats The Strayed Reveller Matthew Arnold The Wine of Circe Dante Gabriel Rossetti Tanglewood Tales (Circe's Palace) Nathaniel Hawthorne Greek Story and Song, pp. 214-225 A.J. Church The Odyssey, pp. 151-164 (School Ed.) G.H. Palmer (Trans.) Classic Myths,