66

And he sang the song of children,
Sang the
song Nokomis taught him:
Wah-wah-taysee, little firefly,
Little, flitting, white-fire insect,
Little, dancing, white-fire creature,
Light me with your little candle,
Ere upon my bed I lay me,
Ere in sleep I close my eyelids!"

Saw the moon rise from the water,
Rippling, rounding from the water,
Saw the flecks and shadows on it,
Whispered, "What is that, Nokomis?”
And the good Nokomis answered:
"Once a warrior, very angry,

Seized his grandmother, and threw her
Up into the sky at midnight;

Right against the moon he threw her;
"Tis her body that you see there."

Saw the rainbow in the heaven,
In the eastern sky, the rainbow,
Whispered, "What is that, Nokomis?"
And the good Nokomis answered:

""Tis the heaven of flowers you see there;

5

All the wild flowers of the forest,
All the lilies of the prairie,

When on earth they fade and perish,
Blossom in that heaven above us."

When he heard the owls at midnight, Hooting, laughing in the forest, "What is that?" he cried in terror, "What is that," he said, "Nokomis?" And the good Nokomis answered:

That is but the owl and owlet,
Talking in their native language,
Talking, scolding at each other."
Then the little Hiawatha

Learned of every bird its language,

5

Learned their names and all their secrets,

How they built their nests in Summer,
Where they hid themselves in Winter,
Talked with them whene'er he met them,
Called them "Hiawatha's Chickens."

Of all beasts he learned the language,
Learned their names and all their secrets,
How the beavers built their lodges,

Where the squirrels hid their acorns,
How the reindeer ran so swiftly,

Why the rabbit was so timid,

Talked with them whene'er he met them,
Called them "Hiawatha's Brothers."

Why did Hiawatha call the firefly "little, flitting, whitefire creature"? What word in the poem tells just the sound made by the pine tree? by the water? What word describes the motion of the firefly? What kind of sound is made by the owl? What did Hiawatha call the birds? The beasts? Tell in your own words how Hiawatha spent his evenings.

10

15

59

HIAWATHA'S CHILDHOOD (Concluded)

THEN Iagoo, the great boaster,
He the marvelous story teller,
He the traveler and the talker,
He the friend of old Nokomis,
Made a bow for Hiawatha;

From a branch of ash he made it,

5

10

From an oak bough made the arrows,

Tipped with flint, and winged with feathers,

And the cord he made of deerskin.

Then he said to Hiawatha:

"Go, my son, into the forest,
Where the red deer herd together,
Kill for us a famous roebuck,
Kill for us a deer with antlers!"
Forth into the forest straightway

All alone walked Hiawatha

Proudly, with his bow and arrows;

And the birds sang round him, o'er him,

"Do not shoot us, Hiawatha!"

Sang the robin, the Opechee,