noon
I have forgotten whether the song of the cricket be not as early a token of autumn 's approach as any other , -- that song which may be called an audible stillness ; for though very loud and heard afar , yet the mind does not take note of it as a sound , so completely is its individual existence merged among the accompanying characteristics of the season . Alas for the pleasant summertime ! In August the grass is still verdant on the hills and in the valleys ; the foliage of the trees is as dense as ever and as green ; the flowers gleam forth in richer abundance along the margin of the river and by the stone walls and deep among the woods ; the days , too , are as fervid now as they were a month ago ; and yet in every breath of wind and in every beam of sunshine we hear the whispered farewell and behold the parting smile of a dear friend . There is a coolness amid all the heat , a mildness in the blazing noon . Not a breeze can stir but it thrills us with the breath of autumn . A pensive glory is seen in the far , golden gleams , among the shadows of the trees . The flowers -- even the brightest of them , and they are the most gorgeous of the year -- have this gentle sadness wedded to their pomp , and typify the character of the delicious time each within itself .