"
In his verses the catbird nests in the trumpet vine, the pewee pours forth
a woodland welcome, the redbird sings a vesper song, the lilacs are musky
of the May, the bluebells and the wind flowers bloom. We hear
"... tinkling in the clover dells,
The twilight sound of cattle bells."
His verse often shows exactness of observation, characteristic of modern
students of nature, as well as a romantic love of the outdoor world. Note
the specific references to the shape and color of individual natural
objects in these lines from Cawein:--
"May-apples, ripening yellow, lean
With oblong fruit, a lemon-green,
Near Indian-turnips, long of stem,
That bear an acorn-oval gem."
He loves the nymphs of mythology, the dryads, naiads, and the fairies. One
of his poems is called _There Are Fairies_:--
"There are fairies, I could swear
I have seen them busy where
Rose-leaves loose their scented hair,
* * * * *
Leaning from the window sill
Of a rose or daffodil,
Listening to their serenade,
All of cricket music made."
In luxuriance of imagery and profuse appeal to the senses, he is the Keats
of the South.
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