March

The cock is crowing,
The stream is flowing,

The small birds twitter,

The lake doth glitter,

The green field sleeps in the sun;
The oldest and youngest

Are at work with the strongest;

The cattle are grazing,

Their heads never raising; There are forty feeding like one.

Like an army defeated
The snow hath retreated,
And now doth fare ill

On the top of the bare hill;

The plowboy is whooping-anon—anon;
There's joy in the mountains,

There's life in the fountains;
Small clouds are sailing,

Blue sky prevailing;

The rain is over and gone!

-William Wordsworth.

To the Cuckoo

O blithe New-comer! I have heard,
I hear thee and rejoice.
O Cuckoo! shall I call thee Bird,
Or but a wandering Voice?

While I am lying on the grass
Thy twofold shout I hear;
From hill to hill it seems to pass,
At once far off and near.

Though babbling only, to the Vale,
Of sunshine and of flowers,
Thou bringest unto me a tale

Of visionary hours.

Thrice welcome, darling of the Spring!

Even yet thou art to me

No Bird; but an invisible Thing,

A voice, a mystery;

The same whom in my School-boy days
I listened to; that Cry

Which made me look a thousand ways
In bush, and tree, and sky.

To seek thee did I often rove

Through woods and on the green; And thou wert still a hope, a love;

Still longed for, never seen.

-William Wordsworth.

The Daffodils

I wandered lonely as a Cloud

That floats on high o'er vales and hills, When all at once I saw a crowd,

A host of golden Daffodils.

Beside the Lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.

Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay;
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.

The waves beside them danced, but they
Outdid the sparkling waves in glee—
A poet could not but be gay

In such a jocund company;

I gazed and gazed-but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought;

For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye

Which is the bliss of solitude,

And then my heart with pleasure fills,

And dances with the Daffodils.

-William Wordsworth.

Siddartha, the Great Peace Hero

Childhood and Youth

Many, many years ago a righteous king and queen ruled over a large kingdom in India. The gods loved them for their goodness and said, "Let us send to the good King and Queen a son who shall be a great blessing to all the people in the kingdom."

So it came to pass that a child was born to these good rulers, King Su-do-dan'a and Queen Ma'ya. All nature rejoiced at the birth of the little prince; the strong hills shook, the waves sank to rest, and a wind blew over the lands with unknown freshness.

The four Spirits that rule the earth came down from the holy mountain Su-me'ru. The first, the Angel of the East, whose hosts are clad in silver robes and bear shields of pearl; the second, the Angel of the South, whose horsemen ride blue steeds and carry sapphire shields; the third, the Angel of the West, whose followers ride blood-red steeds and carry shields of coral; the fourth, the Angel of the North, surrounded by his Yakshas all in golden armor, bearing shields of gold and riding on yellow horses-all these came down to earth appearing like warriors, though they were mighty gods.

King Sudodana was troubled by the mighty signs, but his sages said these signs foretold that the Prince would be a great ruler, such as rises to rule once in a thousand years. At these words of the seers, the King rejoiced and gave order that his town should keep high festival. The roads were swept, the streets were sprinkled with rose water and the trees hung with lamps and flags. Merry crowds gasped at the tricks of the sword-players, the jugglers, swingers, ropewalkers, and the dancing girls in their spangled skirts. There were tiger-tamers, wrestlers, and beaters of the drum. These and many others made the people happy.

Moreover, on tidings of this birth, merchantmen came from afar, bringing rich gifts in golden trays; goatshawls and precious gems, thin laces, so fine that twelve folds would not hide the face. Then there were girdles sewn thick with pearls, and sandalwood and gifts from conquered cities. So the people called their prince AllProspering, or in brief, Sid-dar'tha.

Amongst the strangers came a grey-haired saint, A-si'ta, whose ears had long been deaf to earthly sounds. But his hearing was quick to heavenly sounds, and while praying beneath his sacred tree he heard the De'vas singing songs of the blessed babe. The King saluted Asita as he drew nigh, and Queen Maya made to lay her babe before such holy feet.

When the old man saw the Prince he cried, "Ah, Queen, not so!" and thereupon he touched the dust eight times, and laid his wasted face there, saying, "O Babe!