Creatures that live in the sludge, Hop away, croaking frog, The bittern is come to the bog, The bittern that booms in the evening glooms Fish of river and lake, The heron comes out of the brake; His neck 's doubled back, but he means to attack; He'll cause you to quail and quake. Thus purified, it enters in THE SUN. Somewhere it is always light, For, when 'tis morning here, When you're undressed and going to bed, And other distant lands there be For it is dark both night and day, Yes, while you sleep, the sun shines bright; For weeks and weeks there is no night, But always daylight there. THE SOLAR SYSTEM. The solar system comprehends First, Mercury his circuit takes, Thomas Millar. Venus, fair wanderer, then appears, And next him takes the lead, And as a morn or evening star Is beautiful indeed. In the third path the earth revolves, Mars is the fourth; by ruddy hue Wandering beyond the planet Mars, Then Jupiter, with four large moons, They make his nights resplendent shine, Then Saturn, who with wond'rous rings And last, astronomers have found How great must God be, who has made And yet how kind, for he looks down, Though Lord of countless worlds unknown, Who asks his favor, and who breathes THE OCEANS. The oceans number five; THE DENOMINATIONS OF LAND. The surface of the globe By some is said to be One third the dry and solid land, A portion of the land, Of very great extent, Unbroken by the rolling sea, Is called a Continent. A space the ocean bounds, This name (descriptive of its state), An Isle, or Island, is The name by us applied To land which seas or oceans deep And we an Isthmus call That narrow spot or neck Which thus doth mighty bays or seas Completely intersect. A Promontory, Cape, Or Headland bold jut out Afar into the sea, and make The seamen sail about. THE DENOMINATIONS OF WATER. The vast expansive deep Is Ocean named aright; There we may sail for many days, The land still out of sight. The Sea, though also vast A Bay is where the sea A passage where the tide Without obstruction flows, Though long and narrow, by the name An outlet from a sea Into the ocean great, Is often called a Strait. A Haven and a Creek Are bays of smaller size, Where ships may proper shelter seek, When many rivers meet, As in the sea they fall, An Estuary, Sound, or Firth The swelling tide they call. When hills on every side A sheet of water make, Or large or small, or salt or fresh, GOOD THINGS FROM DISTANT PLACES. Tea is brought from China; Rice from Carolina, India, and Italy, Countries far beyond the sea. |