> by great pathos, and a truthful description of nature.]



How fair and fragrant art thou, May!

Replete with leaf and verdure,

How sweet the blossom of the thorn

Which so enriches nature,

The bird now sings upon the bush,

Or soars through fields of azure.



The earth absorbs the genial rays

Which vivify the summer,

The busy bee hums on his way

Exhausting every flower,

Returning to its earthen nest

Laden with honied treasure.



How cheerful are the signs of May,

The lily sweet and briar,

Perfuming every shady way

Beside the warbling river;

And thou, gay cuckoo! hast returned

To usher in the summer.



How pleasant is the cuckoo's song

Which floats along the meadow,

How rich the sight of woodland green,

And pastures white and yellow,

The lark now soars into the heights

And pours her notes so mellow.



To welcome May, let thousands hie

At the sweet dawn of morning,

The winter cold has left the sky,

The sun is mildly beaming,

The dew bright sparkles on the grass,

All nature is rejoicing.



Let May be crown'd the best of months

Of all the passing year,

Let her be deck'd with floral wreaths,

And fed with juice and nectar,

Let old and young forsake the town

And shout a welcome to her.