James Whitcomb Riley

Afterwhiles James Whitcomb Riley

Book Excerpt: ...drapery of mistFrom the shoulder and the wristFlowing backward with the motionOf the waving hand he kissed. And the Sun had on a crownWrought of gilded thistle-down, And a scarf of velvet vapor, And a ravelled-rainbow gown; And his tinsel-tangled hair, Tossed and lost upon the air, Was glossier and flossierThan any anywhere. And the South Wind's eyes were twoLittle dancing drops of dew, As he puffed his cheeks, and pursed his lips, And blew and blew and blew!And the Sun's-- like diamond-stone, Brighter yet than ever known, As he knit his brows and held his breath, And shone and shone and shone!And this pair of merry faysWandered through the summer days; Arm-in-arm they went togetherOver heights of morning haze--Over slanting slopes of lawnThey went on and on and on, Where the daisies looked like star-tracksTrailing up and down the dawn. And where'er they found the topOf