'I brought tears to your eyes the first time I sang. I shall never forget that.
She sang so beautifully that even the poor fisherman who had so much to do stood and listened when he came at night to cast his nets.
'With the greatest of pleasure!' said the Nightingale; and she sang so gloriously that it was a pleasure to listen.
The Nightingale sang so gloriously that the tears came into the Emperor's eyes and ran down his cheeks.
So the simple farm laborer, who had no learning of any kind, sang while the learned and grave men listened.
And some one, too, must have written down the verses which Caedmon sang.
"He sang the creation of the world, the origin of man, and all the history of Genesis; and made many verses on the departure of the children of Israel out of Egypt, and their entering into the land of promise, with many other histories from holy writ."
His hand slipped to hers and gathered it in, and as she
sang again she felt the tide of his strength flood warmingly through her.
Not always, however, were such experiences his when they
sang together.
She sang first of the birth of love in the heart of a boy and a girl.
So the Nightingale pressed closer against the thorn, and louder and louder grew her song, for she sang of the birth of passion in the soul of a man and a maid.
Bitter, bitter was the pain, and wilder and wilder grew her song, for she sang of the Love that is perfected by Death, of the Love that dies not in the tomb.
Long she lay watching the bright shadows, and listening to the song of the rose, while through the long night dreams of lovely things floated like bright clouds through her mind; while the rose bent lovingly above her, and sang in the clear moonlight.
At length the Queen came forth, and her subjects gathered round her, and while the flowers bowed their heads, and the trees hushed their rustling, the Fairies sang their morning hymn to the Father of birds and blossoms, who had made the earth so fair a home for them.
Then they flew away to the gardens, and soon, high up among the tree-tops, or under the broad leaves, sat the Elves in little groups, taking their breakfast of fruit and pure fresh dew; while the bright-winged birds came fearlessly among them, pecking the same ripe berries, and dipping their little beaks in the same flower-cups, and the Fairies folded their arms lovingly about them, smoothed their soft bosoms, and gayly sang to them.
