It Is A Beauteous Evening, Calm and Free...

"It is a beauteous evening, calm and free, The holy time is quiet as a Nun Breathless with adoration; the broad sun Is sinking down in its tranquility;

The gentleness of heaven broods o'er the Sea; Listen! the mighty Being is awake, And doth with his eternal motion make A sound like thunder - everlasting.

Dear child! dear Girl! that walkest with me here, If thou appear untouched by solemn thought, Thy nature is not therefore less divine;

Thou liest in Abraham's bosom all the year; And worshipp'st at the Temple's inner shrine, God being with thee when we know it not." by William Wordsworth

Barker's Flower Fairies...

 British-born Cicely Mary Barker began creating her delightful fairy

images in the first half of the twentieth century. She was born in 1895 

and became a published artist in her sixteenth year. She went on to 

publish seven books featuring her fairy images prior to her death. 

I recently purchased a pristine copy of "The Complete Book of the 

Flower Fairies". It is a compilation of all of those seven books, 

and I couldn't be more tickled to add it to my library. It's so lovely.

 Her plant and flower images are botanically accurate, and those little

fairies are so captivating. I could look at them for hours upon hours.

 The seven original Barker books become individual chapters in this one.

There are myriad endearing fairies for every season, fairies of the garden,

fairies of the trees, fairies of the wayside...and

 Fairies from "A"...

 to "Z".

In addition to all these splendid images, there are accompanying poems

written by the author. Her graceful children's images, combined with her

words in poetry, make for a sweet glimpse into a more innocent time.

As I take in 189 pages of her words and images, it's easy to believe that

these charming, little fairy children actually live among us. One can hope.

Summer Morning...

How beautiful the morning,
When summer days are long;
O, we will rise betimes and hear
the wild-bird's happy song -
For when the sun pours down his ray
The bird will cease to sing;
She'll seek the cool and silent shade,
and sit with folded wing.

Up in the morning early -
'Tis Nature's gayest hour!
There's pearls of dew upon the grass
And fragrance on the flower.
Up in the morning early,
And we will bound abroad,
And fill our hearts with melody,
and raise our songs to God.

-Summer Morning by Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879)

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