And often as he sighed: ``Alas!'' the grieving
Echo from the wood answered: ``Alas!''
With his last breath he looked into the water
and sighed: ``Ah, youth beloved, farewell!'' and
Echo sighed: ``Farewell!''
And Narcissus, laying his weary head upon the
grass, closed his eyes forever. The Water-Nymphs
wept for him, and the Wood-Dryads lamented
him, and Echo resounded their mourning. But
when they sought his body it had vanished away,
and in its stead had grown up by the brink of the
stream a little flower, with silver leaves and
golden heart,--and thus was born to earth the
woodland flower, Narcissus.
MOTHERS' DAY
(SECOND SUNDAY IN MAY)
THE LARK AND ITS YOUNG ONES
A HINDU FABLE
BY P. V. RAMASWAMI RAJU (ADAPTED)
A child went up to a lark and said: ``Good lark,
have you any young ones?''
``Yes, child, I have,'' said the mother lark, ``and
they are very pretty ones, indeed.'' Then she
pointed to the little birds and said: ``This is Fair
Wing, that is Tiny Bill, and that other is Bright
Eyes.''
``At home, we are three,'' said the child,
``myself and two sisters. Mother says that we are
pretty children, and she loves us.''
To this the little larks replied: ``Oh, yes, OUR
mother is fond of us, too.''
``Good mother lark,'' said the child, ``will you
let Tiny Bill go home with me and play?''
Before the mother lark could reply, Bright
Eyes said: ``Yes, if you will send your little sister
to play with us in our nest.
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