When the sap runs up the tree, And the vine runs o"er the wall, When the blossom draws the bee, From the forest comes a call,Wild, and clear, and sweet, and strange, Many-toned and murmuring,Like the river in the range- "Tis the joyous voice of Spring!
On the boles of grey old trees, See the flying sunbeams play, Mystic, soundless melodies- A fantastic march and gay;But the young leaves hear them-hark, How they rustle, every one !-And the sap beneath the bark, Hearing, leaps to meet the sun.
Oh, the world is wondrous fair,
When the tide of life"s at flood!
Drawn by John Rowell
"Mystic, soundless melodies. "
There is magic in the air, There is music in the blood; And a glamour draws us on,To the distance, rainbow-spanned, And the road we tread upon,Is the road to fairyland.
Lo! the old hear voices sweet,
And they know the wondrous song; And their ancient pulses beat,To a tune forgotten long; And they talk in whispers low, With a smile and with a sigh, Of the years of long ago,And the roving days gone by.
Victor Daley.
Author.-Victob James Patrick Daley, born in Ireland, 1858, arrived in Australia at the age of 18 years, followed the profession of journalism and earned a somewhat precarious living. He died at Sydney in 1905. Daley is one of our best lyric poets, a worthy successor to Kendall. Two volumes, At Dawn and Dusk, and Wine and Roses, contain his poetry.
General Notes.-Note the smooth flow of the words, the aptness ofdescription, the air of gaiety so suitable to the theme. The version given in the text omits certain lines after "the joyous voice of Spring. " Insert-"O rise up, rise up, light-hearted,And take your staff in hand, For it is the time for rovingThrough the green and pleasant land. "Write a little essay on "The Call of Summer, " "The Call of Autumn, " "The Call of Winter. "
