The poet must bring to Nature the smooth mirror in which she is to be reflected. He must be something superior to her, something more than natural. He must furnish equanimity. No genius will excuse him from importing the ivory which is to be his material.

  That small veronica (V. arvensis) by Mrs. Hosmer’s is the same with that on the Cliffs; there is also the smooth or V. serhyllifolia by her path at the brook. This is the fifth windy day. A May wind—a washing wind. Do we not always have after the early thunder-showers a May storm? The first windy weather which it is agreeable to walk or ride in—creating a lively din . . .