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3

We better love the hardy gift

Our rugged vales bestow,

To cheer us when the storm shall drift

Our harvest-fields with snow.

4

Through vales of grass and meads of flowers
Our ploughs their furrows made,
While on the hills the sun and showers
Of changeful April played.

5

We dropped the seed o'er hill and plain,
Beneath the sun of May,

And frightened from our sprouting grain
The robber crows away.

6

All through the long, bright days of June
Its leaves grew green and fair,

And waved in hot midsummer's noon
Its soft and yellow hair.

*

And now, with Autumn's moonlit eves,

Its harvest-time has come,

We pluck away the frosted leaves,

And bear the treasure home.

8

Then shame on all the proud and vain,

Whose folly laughs to scorn The blessing of our hardy grain, Our wealth of golden corn!

9

Let earth withhold her goodly root,
Let mildew blight the rye,

Give to the worm the orchard's fruit,
The wheat-field to the fly:

10

But let the good old crop adorn
The hills our fathers trod;
Still let us, for his golden corn,
Send up our thanks to God!

HELPS TO STUDY
Notes and Questions

To whom is the poet speaking in the first two stanzas? Why does he speak of corn as a "wintry hoard''?

Is all corn "golden"? What other kinds have you seen? Name other gifts Autumn brings us?

What do we call the "apple from

the pine''?

What fruits are mentioned in the

second stanza?

What clusters are picked from vines?

In what "other lands" do these

fruits grow?

What does the poet mean by "Our rugged vales''?

Where was Whittier's home? What do you know of the soil and climate of New England?

Read the line which tells when we plant the corn.

Read the lines which tell when we harvest the corn.

What is the "yellow hair" the corn waves in summer? What does the poet mean by "frosted leaves''?

What does he think of those who

scorn the blessing of the corn What destroying influences are

mentioned in the ninth stanza? What wish does he express in

the last stanza?

Which stanza do you like best?

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hoard (hōrd)-a store laid up; a supply.

här'-dỹ-able to withstand cold, as plants of cold regions.

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"lavish horn"-Amalthea (ăm-ǎl-thē'-ȧ) was the nurse of Zeus (Zūs), the chief god of the ancient Greek people, and is supposed to have been a goat. Zeus broke off Amalthea's horn and gave it the magical power of becoming filled with whatever its possessor wished. This horn became famous as the horn of plenty." Here applied to Autumn.

CAPTURING THE WILD HORSE

WASHINGTON IRVING

Washington Irving (1783-1859) was a native of New York. He was an interesting story-teller and a writer of humorous tales. As a boy Irving was rather mischievous, which trait perhaps helped him to become the "First American Humorist." He is called the "Gentle Humorist.''

We left the buffalo camp about eight o'clock, and had a toilsome march of two hours, over ridges of hills, covered with a ragged forest of scrub-oaks, and broken by deep gullies. Among the oaks I observed many of the most diminutive size; some not above a foot high, yet bearing abundance of small acorns.

About ten o'clock in the morning we came to where this line of rugged hills swept down into a valley, through which flowed the north fork of the Red River. A beautiful meadow about half

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a mile wide, colored with yellow autumnal flowers, stretched for two or three miles along the foot of the hills, bordered on the opposite side by the river, whose bank was fringed with cottonwood trees.

The meadow was finely diversified by groves and clumps of trees, so happily arranged, that they seemed as if set out by the hand of art. As we cast our eyes over this fresh and delightful valley, we saw a troop of wild horses, quietly grazing on a green lawn, about a mile distant to our right, while to our left, at 10 nearly the same distance, were several buffaloes; some feeding, others reposing and ruminating among the high rich herbage, under the shade of a clump of cottonwood trees. The whole had the appearance of a broad beautiful tract of pasture land, on the estate of some gentleman farmer, with his cattle grazing about 15 the lawns and meadows.

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A council of war was now held, and it was determined to profit by the present favorable opportunity, and try our hand at the grand hunting maneuver, which is called ringing the wild horse.

This requires a large party of horsemen, well mounted. They extend themselves in each direction, singly, at certain distances apart, and gradually form a ring of two or three miles in circumference, so as to surround the game. This has to be done with extreme care, for the wild horse is the 25 most readily alarmed inhabitant of the prairie, and can scent a hunter at a great distance, if to windward.

The ring being formed, two or three ride toward the horses, who start off in an opposite direction. Whenever they approach the bounds of the ring, however, a huntsman presents 30 himself and turns them from their course. In this way, they are checked and driven back at every point, and kept galloping round and round this magic circle, until, being completely tired down, it is easy for the hunters to ride up beside them, and throw the lariat over their heads. The prime horses of most speed, 35 courage, and bottom, however, are apt to break through and

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