1. Reading Lesson

Spring

Gentle Spring ! in sunshine clad,

Well dost thou thy power display! For Winter maketh the light heart sad,

And thou, thou makest the sad heart gay. He sees thee, and calls to his gloomy train, The slett, and the snow, and the wind, and the rain; And they shrink away, and they flee in fear,

When thy merry step draws near.

Winter giveth the fields and the trees, so old,

Their beards of icicles and snow; And the rain, it raineth so fast and cold,

We must cower over the embers low; And, snugly housed from the wind and weather, Mope like birds that are changing feather. But the storm retires, and the sky grows clear,

When thy merry step draws near.

Winter maketh the sun in the gloomy sky

Wrap him round with a mantle of cloud; But, Heaven be praised, thy step is nigh;

Thou tearest away the mournful shroud, And the earth looks bright, and Winter surly, Who has toiled for naught both late and early, Is banished afar by the new-born year, When thy merry step draws near.

- Henry W. Longfellow.

2. Study

embers, smouldering coals; cower, to crouch; shroud, cloak or wrap.

What name does the poet give to Spring? Is it a suitable name? How can Spring show such power?

What does the poet say Winter does? Do you agree with him?

Why must Winter call his helpers? What becomes of them? Why?

Be ready to describe in class the pictures that the third stanza makes you see. Are the first two lines of the last stanza true where you live?

For what has Winter been working so hard? What becomes of him now?

Does this poem make you feel glad or sorrowful ? Why?

3. Word Studies

1. Write sentences explaining what these expressions mean: in sunshine clad the storm retires changing feather.

snugly housed step is nigh toiled for naught.

2. Use other words in place of these in the poem. Do not change the meaning.

gloomy.

flee.

merry.

surly.

banished.

mournful.

4. Learn This Poem