NEAR NATURE’S HEART

The great artist is one whose whole body becomes a living soul;whose eye gets glimpses into the heart of Nature, with visions ofthe Supernatural; whose ear hears their inner music, and whose handproduces ecstatic expression of their central force in some revelationof Beauty. And to make his art more real, more nearly perfect, Beautymore beautiful, such artist by contrast often depicts or suggests thedeadly but doomed discords of life.

Any inspiring touch I have with Nature makes me less than half contentwith the best I can say of her. Beyond my increasing love for the rich,old Mother—yet eternally young and myriad formed—I am deeply indebtedto F. Schuyler Mathews and his charming “Field Book of Wild Birds andTheir Music,” especially in suggestions and some illustrations for the“Birds’ Orchestra.” Other acknowledgements are made elsewhere in thislittle volume of verse, which chances to be my first, and thereforesubject to the severer criticism.

C. J.