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XVII. THE CUCKOO.

Cuckoo! Cuckoo! the woodlands ring
With thee, blithe harbinger of Spring;
Thou bringest cowslips, violets blue,
And buds and bells all drenched in dew,
Glittering like pearls upon a string.
The swallow now is on the wing,
In hawthorn bush the thrushes sing,
But more I love to hear, “Cuckoo!
Cuckoo! Cuckoo!”
Thy voice puts joy in everything,
And takes from sorrow half its sting;
Recalling days that quickly flew,
Pleasures long past thou dost renew,
And the old sunshine round me fling,
Cuckoo! Cuckoo!