I praise thee, Sun! Thou sheddest roses on the air,
Diamonds on the stream, enchantment on the hill;
A poor dull tree thou takest and turnest to green rapture,
O Sun, without whose golden magic--things
Would be no more than what they are!
THE PIGEON
Bravo! I shall have something to tell my mate. We shall long talk of
this!
CHANTECLER
[_Seeing him, with noble courtesy._] Young blue-winged stranger, with
new-fledged bill, thanks! Pray lay my duty at her coral feet!
[_The_ PIGEON _flies off._]
THE BLACKBIRD
Jolly your admirers, it pays!
CHANTECLER
[_In a cordial voice, to the whole barnyard._] To work now, all of you,
with a will!
[_A_ FLY _darts past, buzzing._]
CHANTECLER
Busy and resonant Fly, I love thee! Behold her! What is her flight but
the heart-whole gift of herself?
THE TURKEY
[_Loftily._] Yes.--She has dropped considerably in my esteem, however,
since that matter of the--
CHANTECLER
Of the what?
THE TURKEY
Of the Fly and the--
CHANTECLER
I never thought much of that story. Who knows whether the coach would
have reached the top of the hill without the Fly? Do you believe that
rude shouts "Gee up! Ge' lang!" were more effective than the hymn to the
Sun buzzed by the little Fly? Do you believe in the virtue of a
blustering oath? Really believe it was the Coachman who made the coach
to go? No, I tell you, no! She did much more than the big whip's noisy
cracking, did the little Fly, with the music straight from her
buzzing heart!
THE TURKEY
Yes, but all the same--
CHANTECLER
[_Turning his back on him.
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