GERALDINE.

 When the summer, crowned with blossoms,

Robes with beauty all the trees,

And, with pérfumed breath and fragrant¹,

Loads the idly-floating breeze,

Then, with cheerful steps and airy,

O’er the fields with flowers upspringing,

Comes our pleasant household fairy,

Fragrant blossoms round her flinging,

While the birds that haunt the tree-tops

Pause to listen to her singing.

Ever cheerful, ever smiling,

Is the gay, warm-hearted maiden²;

And her sunny presence gladdens

Hearts with deepest sorrow laden³.

Very few there are, I ween,

Quite as fair as Geraldine.

[204]

When the autumn,—nut-brown autumn,—

With its wealth of golden sheaves,

Lends a new flush to the apples

Peeping from the orchard⁴ leaves,

Forth⁵ unto the sunny harvest

Rides she in the farmer’s wain,

Who, with busy hand and tireless,

Gathers in the golden grain;

And she cheers his pleasant labor⁶

With a gay, unstudied strain.

Ever cheerful, ever smiling,

Is the gay, warm-hearted maiden;

And her sunny presence gladdens

Hearts with deepest sorrow laden.

Ah! there can be none, I ween,

Quite so fair as Geraldine.

1 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

2 maiden   

n.少女，处女；adj.未婚的，纯洁的，无经验的

参考例句：

• The prince fell in love with a fair young maiden.王子爱上了一位年轻美丽的少女。
• The aircraft makes its maiden flight tomorrow.这架飞机明天首航。

3 laden   

adj.装满了的；充满了的；负了重担的；苦恼的

参考例句：

• He is laden with heavy responsibility.他肩负重任。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat.将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

4 orchard   

n.果园，果园里的全部果树，(美俚)棒球场

参考例句：

• My orchard is bearing well this year.今年我的果园果实累累。
• Each bamboo house was surrounded by a thriving orchard.每座竹楼周围都是茂密的果园。

5 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。

6 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。