July
by Susan Hartley Swett

When the scarlet cardinal tells
Her dream to the dragonfly,
And the lazy breeze makes a nest in the trees,
And murmurs a lullaby,
It's July.

When the tangled cobweb pulls
The cornflower's cap awry,
And the lilies tall lean over the wall
To bow to the butterfly,
It's July.

When the heat like a mist veil floats,
And poppies flame in the rye,
And the silver note in the streamlet's throat
Has softened almost to a sigh,
It's July.

When the hours are so still that time
Forgets them, and lets them lie
Underneath petals pink till the night stars wink
At the sunset in the sky,
It's July.

What do the noises that the speaker calls out—the lullaby the breeze murmurs and the soft sigh of the streamlet—represent in "July"?

A. the speaker's desire to break from the laziness of summer

B. the startling beauty of summer days

C. the peacefulness of the long, slow days of summer.

D. the intense heat of mid-summer days