Charles E. Burchfield, Journals, August 26, 1914

August 26, 1914.

     A poplar tree, no matter how distant, may be discerned from all others. Saw one this morning quite aways off whose twinkle, lessened by distance, appeared as heat waves. All the coldness of the sky + wind + the freshness of the sunlight was in that tree.
     What a wonderful season we are in! The sky is wonderfully blue and the wind is cold. The sunlight is bright beyond all expectation. One anticipates the approach of such a season, but it always exceeds his wildest expectations. In this respect nature belies “the thought in “Yarrow Unvisited”. We look forward to a season, with memories of last year’s beauties, and when it comes, find that as we had grown, so has our impression changed.
     By leaves falling off for different causes, + leaves being curled or shrunken by long heat, the trees + arbors + bushes are thinned and their shadow mottled with sunlight. The arbor shows this more than any other. It has a very pleasant effect.
     The intensity of sunlight is beyond all probing. As it is brighter, so is it yellower. Its yellowness may be heighten by the yellowness of this season.
The charm of sunlight falling slantingly thru the trees bushes + weeds growths!
     While idly indulging in uncanny combinations of notes by whis­tling I unconsciously blundered upon the call of the sparrowhawk. I was so surprised that I was half inclined to believe that I had heard it actually. I often while “in exile” in Cleveland give softly to myself the calls of the peter-bird,bluebird, redbird, meadow-lark_,bob-white and “weerie” -  thus I may relive the scenes they recall.
     Last night and tonight I heard a noisy flock of sparrows in the poplar trees in front of the Baptist Church. Each leaf appar­ently had its bird. There was something peculiar about that chirp­ing, it was   neither loud quarrelsome or harsh. For once they seemed in harmony. It even attained beauty sounding somewhat like water shattering on distant rocks. It agreed well with the trees twinkling + seemed the cause of it.
     Evening sunlight was beautifully yellow - almost golden. A wonderful calmness pervades all things.

Charles E. BUrchfield, August 26, 1914