"In his death-struggle with the waves, unto a leaflet green he clung which floated on the tide, and with a lightsome bound he sprang upon its upturned side. Contented thus he lay at rest, swayed by the billows here and there, safely housed and free from care, in the leaflets' soft green breast. His only food was the radiance bright which the stars shed down on him by night, and by that delicate food sustained he made a voyage long.
"But why dost thou stare so fixedly?—why dreamily gaze before thee so?"
Then Julius said:—
"A dreamy sense is o'er me stealing, of moments long gone by:—when I in a green leaf thus was laid, gazing upwards on the sky, whilst the dancing waves around me played. I was rocked by the sea as it rippled lightly,—fed by the stars which shone o'er me brightly; and on I sailed right merrily! And feeding thus on the delicate light by the bright stars downward shed, my nature grew unfit to live by the grosser human bread."
"Now that the light is o'er thee breaking, now that thy memory is awaking,—hear me further," said the glow-worm.—"For four long months the billows bore the child, until he reached the shore of a far and distant land, where they left him on the strand. A stork came proudly stalking by,—well pleased when he such prize did spy; for by the garment green deceived, a tree-frog he the child believed. And he resolved the morsel rare to carry home unto his wife, who loved almost as her life, such choice and tender fare. He took him in his fine long beak, and with him mounted in the air; but had not travelled far nor long, when he beheld an eagle strong flying towards him in might; and being somewhat of a coward, surprised at this event untoward, his bill he opened in a fright,—and down the elfin child from high fell to the earth again.
"Why dost thou start as if some pain shot through thee? Why on thy breast are thy small hands pressed?"
The boy replied:—
"I feel an icy chill through all my members thrill. It must have been a dream, but unto me doth seem that I had such a fall one day,—and such a piercing blast right through my breast then passed, its very memory takes my breath away."
Then the glow-worm said:—