When is Your Birthday ? A Year of Good Wishes.
A Set of Twelve Designs, by Edwin J. Ellis, with Sonnets by the Artist. (Field and Tuer.)—Mr. Ellis has given us twelve female heads, illustrating the months of the year, naturally unequal in merit, but some of them, notably " May," very pleasing. "Jane," on the other hand, is scarcely satisfactory. The sonnets we like mach, and take leave to quote the one which is set as preface:—
" We cannot wish away the wings of Time, Nor bind them by the power of our baud, Nor bid the Sun and Moon to hear and stand; But we can welcome change with merry chime, And bid each other hope from prime to prime, And turn Time's hour-glass pile of rising sand By labour into light and fruitful land,
And lighten labour with a laughing rhyme. Then shall each month begin a change desired, For saving to desire him is no way To take the se ord from Change, the never-tired, Who loves us never ; while from day to day, Over the noise of work our voice above, Wording weak wishes may declare strong love."
A word of notice must be given to the quaint and, we should suppose, quite novel binding.
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