LESSON XX.
floss'y, made of silk.
mag'ic, unnatural power.
war'bling, singing.
mope, become stupid or
dull.
boun'ty, what is given freely.
lan'guish, become weak; wither.
A HAPPY PAIR.
Over my shaded doorway
Two little brown-winged birds
Have chosen to fashion their dwelling,
And utter their loving words;
All day they are going and coming
On errands frequent and fleet,
And warbling over and over,
"Sweetest, sweet, sweet, O sweet!"
Their necks are changeful and shining,
Their eyes like living gems;
And all day long they are busy
Gathering straws and stems,
Lint and feathers and grasses,
And half forgetting to eat,
Yet never failing to warble,
"Sweetest, sweet, sweet, O sweet!"
I scatter crumbs on the doorstep,
And fling them some flossy threads;
They fearlessly gather my bounty,
And turn up their grateful heads.
And chatter and dance and flutter,
And scrape with their tiny feet,
Telling me over and over,
"Sweetest, sweet, sweet, O sweet!"
What if the sky is clouded?
What if the rain comes down?
They are all dressed to meet it,
In water-proof suits of brown.
They never mope nor languish,
Nor murmur at storm or heat;
But say, whatever the weather,
"Sweetest, sweet, sweet, O sweet!"
Always merry and busy,
Dear little brown-winged birds!
Teach me the happy magic
Hidden in those soft words,
Which always, in shine or shadow,
So lovingly you repeat,
Over and over and over,
"Sweetest, sweet, sweet, O sweet!"
Language Lesson.—Let pupils express, in their own language, the words given below in dark type.
Their eyes are like living gems.
Which you always repeat in shine or shadow.
What kind of birds are described in the lesson?
Why did they gather straws, stems, lint, feathers, and grasses?