SUMMER HOURS.

 It is the year’s high noon!

The air sweet incense¹ yields;

And, o’er the fresh, green fields,

Bends the clear sky of June.

I leave the crowded streets,

The hum of busy life,

Its clamor and its strife²,

To breathe thy pérfumed sweets.

Oh rare and golden hours!

The birds’ melodious³ song

Wave-like is borne along

Upon a strand⁴ of flowers.

[116]

I wander far away,

Where, through the forest trees,

Sports the cool summer breeze

In wild and wanton play.

A patriarchal elm

Its stately front uprears,

Which, twice a hundred years,

Has ruled this woodland realm.

I sit beneath its shade,

And watch, with careless eye,

The brook⁵ that babbles⁶ by

And cools the leafy glade⁷.

In truth, I wonder not,

That, in the ancient days,

The temples of God’s praise

Were grove⁸ and leafy grot.

The noblest ever planned,

With quaint⁹ device and rare,

By man, can ill compare

With this from God’s own hand.

[117]

Pilgrim with wayworn feet,

Who, treading life’s dull round,

No true repose¹⁰ hast found,

Come to this green retreat;—

For bird and flower and tree,

Green field and woodland wild,

Shall bear, with voices mild,

Sweet messages to thee.

1 incense   

v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气

参考例句：

• This proposal will incense conservation campaigners.这项提议会激怒环保人士。
• In summer,they usually burn some coil incense to keep away the mosquitoes.夏天他们通常点香驱蚊。

2 strife   

n.争吵，冲突，倾轧，竞争

参考例句：

• We do not intend to be drawn into the internal strife.我们不想卷入内乱之中。
• Money is a major cause of strife in many marriages.金钱是造成很多婚姻不和的一个主要原因。

3 melodious   

adj.旋律美妙的，调子优美的，音乐性的

参考例句：

• She spoke in a quietly melodious voice.她说话轻声细语，嗓音甜美。
• Everybody was attracted by her melodious voice.大家都被她悦耳的声音吸引住了。

4 strand   

vt.使（船）搁浅，使（某人）困于（某地）

参考例句：

• She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ears.她把一缕散发夹到了耳后。
• The climbers had been stranded by a storm.登山者被暴风雨困住了。

5 brook   

n.小河，溪；v.忍受，容让

参考例句：

• In our room we could hear the murmur of a distant brook.在我们房间能听到远处小溪汩汩的流水声。
• The brook trickled through the valley.小溪涓涓流过峡谷。

6 babbles   

n.胡言乱语( babble的名词复数 )；听不清的声音；乱哄哄的说话声v.喋喋不休( babble的第三人称单数 )；作潺潺声（如流水）；含糊不清地说话；泄漏秘密

参考例句：

• She always babbles about trifles. 她总是为一点小事唠叨个没完。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》
• Nobody likes a chatterbox who babbles about every little thing they do. 没有人喜欢一个爱唠叨的人整天对一些所做的小事胡言乱语。 来自互联网

7 glade   

n.林间空地，一片表面有草的沼泽低地

参考例句：

• In the midst of a glade were several huts.林中的空地中间有几间小木屋。
• The family had their lunch in the glade.全家在林中的空地上吃了午饭。

8 grove   

n.林子，小树林，园林

参考例句：

• On top of the hill was a grove of tall trees.山顶上一片高大的树林。
• The scent of lemons filled the grove.柠檬香味充满了小树林。

9 quaint   

adj.古雅的，离奇有趣的，奇怪的

参考例句：

• There were many small lanes in the quaint village.在这古香古色的村庄里，有很多小巷。
• They still keep some quaint old customs.他们仍然保留着一些稀奇古怪的旧风俗。

10 repose   

v.(使)休息；n.安息

参考例句：

• Don't disturb her repose.不要打扰她休息。
• Her mouth seemed always to be smiling,even in repose.她的嘴角似乎总是挂着微笑，即使在睡眠时也是这样。