  O who has not felt his gay heart beat with gladness, As forth he has wandered some morning in May? It drives away care and relieves us from sadness, It cheers the lone heart and makes us feel gay. We see how all Nature rejoices around us, The plants as they spring from the earth seem to smile, The fresh growing leaves of the groves now surround us, And soft sounds of Spring-time unite to beguile. The earth is now teeming with bright vegetation, The early spring flowers are now in their bloom, And where'er we look there appears animation Just bursting the cells of the last winter's tomb. The soft breeze of May-day, we welcome it near us, As filled with rich fragrance it comes thro' the trees, And the bright feathered songsters apparently fear us No more than the odors that float on the breeze. They tune their sweet voices and sing their devotion, Their hearts seem so light, so merry and free, That ideal beauty graces each motion, While they playfully dart from bush and from tree. Our hearts beat with rapture too great for expression While viewing sweet Nature, so lovely, so gay, And hearing those sweet lulling sounds in succession, We wished in our joy it always were May. Thus tempted to linger and spend one short hour, In looking around us in bliss most supreme, We found a choice spot in a fine shady bower, Where near it there murmured a bright silver stream. From this lovely spot we intently were watching The scenes that surround us on this merry May, Every strain of grove-music our ears were now catching, And we saw every movement that came in our way. A sweet, tiny bird on a twig near the river, Was warbling softly his choice matin lay, While near on a branch we soon did discover A serpent preparing to make him his prey. Then glancing the eye to a branch that was near them, We saw there a nest that contained a young brood; While this parent bird was singing to cheer them, The other returned to the nest with their food. The worm which she held in her beak she soon gave them, Then off in the thicket she darted again, To seek for their food, and from hunger relieve them; But on her return how great was her pain! For while she had wandered, this serpent intruder Had charmed her loved mate, as he sat on the spray, His sweet song had ceased, and his notes became ruder, But his fluttering wings could not bear him away. We flew to the rescue—struck down the invader Before the sweet songster had yielded his life, Put an end to this cunning and mischievous raider, And quieted all of the songster's great strife. We learned from the scenes of this morning's ramble That moments of happiness soon may decay; While plucking the flowers to beware of the bramble, Which hid among blossoms may sadly betray. We learned that the joys of this world are not lasting; That what we call pleasure may be a vain show; While joys seem the sweetest they only are blasting, And happiness frequently ends in great woe. We learned that when Nature seems most to invite us, To build some fond hope on some loved scheme of ours, That there may be sadness preparing to blight us, Which evades all our watchings, defies all our powers. |
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