Poetry Sunday : It Is Not Always May by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

May has arrived. The queen of months - maybe the most perfect month of the year, so let us rejoice in it and enjoy it while it lasts.

It is not always May

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

- No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.
Spanish Proverb - 

The sun is bright,--the air is clear,
  The darting swallows soar and sing.
And from the stately elms I hear
  The bluebird prophesying Spring. 
So blue yon winding river flows,
  It seems an outlet from the sky,
Where waiting till the west-wind blows,
  The freighted clouds at anchor lie. 
All things are new;--the buds, the leaves,
  That gild the elm-tree's nodding crest,
And even the nest beneath the eaves;--
   There are no birds in last year's nest! 
All things rejoice in youth and love,
   The fulness of their first delight!
And learn from the soft heavens above
   The melting tenderness of night. 
Maiden, that read'st this simple rhyme,
   Enjoy thy youth, it will not stay;
Enjoy the fragrance of thy prime,
   For oh, it is not always May! 
Enjoy the Spring of Love and Youth,
   To some good angel leave the rest;
For Time will teach thee soon the truth,
  There are no birds in last year's nest! 

Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,May 7, 2023 at 4:46 AM

    Oh so true! As for the poem itself, it is quite lovely, and its cadence is very agreeable.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 7, 2023 at 9:56 AM

      That cadence is a reliable Longfellow characteristic.

      Delete
  2. Lark May 7, 2023 at 10:56 AM

    That's such good advice: to enjoy the moment while it's here. Longfellow certainly had a way with words. :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. AlanaMay 7, 2023 at 3:24 PM

    I doubt I would have understood that poem when I was a fair youth. Now, as a senior citizen, I understand it. The May of my life is gone but I treasure each remaining May I am granted. It's a wonderful month.

    ReplyDelete

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