of Dickens as a story writer.

Why is it called a "fragrant story"? The author
poetically conceives of it as being laden with
the fragrance of the fir, the pine, and the
cedar--a sort of "incense" to the memory of the
"Master".

What is incense? The odours of spices and gums
burned in religious rites.

What poetic idea does the author express in the
last two lines? The hopvines of Kent are
represented as uniting with the pine, fir, and
cedar in sending forth their fragrance as
incense.

What is the meaning, then, of the whole stanza?
Let the fragrance of the pine, the cedar, and
the fir, mingled with the odours of the Kentish
hopvines, be as incense to the memory of the
"Master".

Stanza X

Does the poet mean that the grave of Dickens is
literally adorned with oak, holly, and laurel
wreaths? No; he is speaking figuratively.

What do these typify? The tributes of
admiration, reverence, and love that are paid
to the memory of Dickens in his own country.

Of what is each emblematic? The oak is
emblematic of England, the life of whose people
he so vividly depicted; the holly suggests his
charming Christmas stories; the laurel
signifies his mastery of the art of writing.

What does the poet mean by "This spray of
Western pine"? This poem was written in the
Western World, as a tribute to the memory of
the great novelist.

What personal characteristic does the poet show
in the third line? A sense of humility, which
leads him to suggest that this poem is unworthy
of a place among the tributes paid to the name
and fame of the great artist.

Stripped of its figurative significance, what
is the meaning of the whole stanza? To the many
tokens of love and admiration that are offered
to the memory of Dickens, may I be permitted to
add this poem--a Western tribute to the
worldwide influence of the famous author.

RECONSTRUCTION

Tell the story of the poem in your own words.

In a canyon of the Sierras, a group of rough
miners were gathered about a camp-fire. Around
them stood the stately pines, above which the
moon was sl