The Summer Is Come
Childhood’s Rural Song
The Summer is come
With the insect’s hum,
And the birds that merrily sing.
And sweet are the hours,
And the fruits and flowers,
That Summer has come to bring.
All nature is glad,
And the earth is clad
In her brightest and best array:
So, we with delight
Will our songs unite,
Our tribute of joy to pay.
The swallow is out,
And she sails about
In air, for the careless fly:
Then she takes a sip
With her horny lip
As she skims where the waters lie.
And the lamb bounds light
In his fleece of white,
But he doesn’t know what to think,
In the streamlet clear,
Where he sees appear
His face as he stoops to drink.
For, never before
Has he gambolled o’er
The summer-dressed, flowery earth;
And he skips in play,
As he fain would say
“’Tis a season of feast and mirth.”
And we have to-day
Been rambling away
To gather the flowers most fair,
Which we sat beneath
An old oak to wreath
While fanned by the balmy air.
Now the sun goes down
Like a golden crown
That’s sliding behind a hill;
So we dance the while
To his farewell smile;
And well dance as the dews distil.
Then, we’ll dance to-night
While the fire-fly’s light
Is sparkling among the grass;
And we’ll step our tune
To the silver moon,
As over the green we pass.
O, Summer is sweet!
But her joys are fleet;
We catch them but on the wing:
Yet never the less
Would our hearts confess
The blessings she comes to bring.