On the Grasshopper and Cricket John Keats
To the Grasshopper and the Cricket Leigh Hunt
Little Brother of the Ground Edwin Markham
The Humble Bee R.W.  Emerson
The Cricket Percy Mackaye
The Katydid " "
A Glow Worm (in Little Folk Lyrics) F.D.  Sherman
Bees " " " " " "

MOLY

EDITH M. THOMAS

                          The root is hard to loose
    From hold of earth by mortals, but Gods’ power
    Can all things do.  ’Tis black, but bears a flower
    As white as milk. (Chapman’s Homer.)

Traveller, pluck a stem of moly,
If thou touch at Circe’s isle,—­
Hermes’ moly, growing solely
To undo enchanter’s wile. 
When she proffers thee her chalice,—­
Wine and spices mixed with malice,—­
When she smites thee with her staff
To transform thee, do thou laugh! 
Safe thou art if thou but bear
The least leaf of moly rare. 
Close it grows beside her portal,
Springing from a stock immortal,—­
Yes, and often has the Witch
Sought to tear it from its niche;
But to thwart her cruel will
The wise God renews it still. 
Though it grows in soil perverse,
Heaven hath been its jealous nurse,
And a flower of snowy mark
Springs from root and sheathing dark;
Kingly safeguard, only herb
That can brutish passion curb! 
Some do think its name should be
Shield-heart, White Integrity.

    Traveller, pluck a stem of moly,
      If thou touch at Circe’s isle,—­
    Hermes’ moly, growing solely
      To undo enchanter’s wile!

NOTES

=Chapman’s Homer=:—­George Chapman (1559?-1634) was an English poet.  He translated Homer from the Greek into English verse.

=moly=:—­An herb with a black root and a white flower, which Hermes gave to Odysseus in order to help him withstand the spell of the witch Circe.

=Circe=:—­A witch who charmed her victims with a drink that she prepared for them, and then changed them into the animals they in character most resembled.

=Hermes=:—­The messenger of the other Greek gods; he was crafty and eloquent.

=The wise God=:—­Hermes, or Mercury.

SUGGESTIONS FOR STUDY

Before you try to study this poem carefully, find out something of the story of Ulysses and Circe:  when you have this information, the poem will become clear.  Notice how the author applies the old Greek tale to the experiences of everyday life.  This would be a good poem to memorize.

COLLATERAL READINGS