In the maples cooed the pigeons--
Cooed and wooed like silly lovers.
"Hah!--hah!" laughed the crow derisive,
In the pine-top, at their folly--
Laughed and jeered the silly lovers.
Blind with love were they, and saw not;
Deaf to all but love, and heard not;
So they cooed and wooed unheeding,
Till the gray hawk pounced upon them,
And the old crow shook with laughter.
[Illustration: SEGUN AND PEBOAN]
On the tall cliff by the sea-shore
Red Fox made a swing. She fastened
Thongs of moose-hide to the pine-tree,
To the strong arm of the pine-tree.
Like a hawk, above the waters,
There she swung herself and fluttered,
Laughing at the thought of danger,
Swung and fluttered o'er the waters.
Then she bantered Sea-Gull, saying,
"See!--I swing above the billows!
Dare you swing above the billows--
Swing like me above the billows?"
To herself said Sea-Gull--"Surely
I will dare whatever danger
Dares the Red Fox--dares my rival;
She shall never call me coward."
So she swung above the waters--
Dizzy height above the waters,
Pushed and aided by her rival,
To and fro with reckless daring,
Till the strong tree rocked and trembled,
Rocked and trembled with its burden.
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