The Poetical Works of Eliza Cook ... A Complete Edition |
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HOW GLAD I SHALL BE WHEN THE CUCKOO IS
SINGING. |
 | The Poetical Works of Eliza Cook |  |
HOW GLAD I SHALL BE WHEN THE CUCKOO IS SINGING.
How glad I shall be when the cuckoo is singing,
When springtime is here, and the sunshine is warm;
For 'tis pleasant to tread where the bluebell is springing,
And lily-cups grow in their fairy-like form.
Then we shall see the loud twittering swallow,
Building his home 'neath the cottager's eaves;
The brown-headed nightingale quickly will follow,
And the orchard be grand with its blossoms and leaves.
The branches so gay will be dancing away,
Decked out in their dresses so white and so pink;
And then we'll go straying,
And playing
And Maying
By valleys, and hills, and the rivulet's brink.
When springtime is here, and the sunshine is warm;
For 'tis pleasant to tread where the bluebell is springing,
And lily-cups grow in their fairy-like form.
Then we shall see the loud twittering swallow,
Building his home 'neath the cottager's eaves;
The brown-headed nightingale quickly will follow,
And the orchard be grand with its blossoms and leaves.
The branches so gay will be dancing away,
Decked out in their dresses so white and so pink;
And then we'll go straying,
And playing
And Maying
By valleys, and hills, and the rivulet's brink.
How glad I shall be when the bright, little daisies
Are peeping all over the meadows again;
How merry 'twill sound when the skylark upraises
His carolling voice o'er the flower-strewn plain.
Then the corn will be up, and the lambs will be leaping,
The palm with its buds of rich gold will be bent;
The hedges of hawthorn will burst from their sleeping,
All fresh and delicious with beauty and scent.
'Twill be joyous to see the young wandering bee,
When the lilacs are out, and laburnum boughs swell;
And then we'll go straying,
And playing
And Maying
By upland and lowland, by dingle and dell.
Are peeping all over the meadows again;
How merry 'twill sound when the skylark upraises
His carolling voice o'er the flower-strewn plain.
616
The palm with its buds of rich gold will be bent;
The hedges of hawthorn will burst from their sleeping,
All fresh and delicious with beauty and scent.
'Twill be joyous to see the young wandering bee,
When the lilacs are out, and laburnum boughs swell;
And then we'll go straying,
And playing
And Maying
By upland and lowland, by dingle and dell.
How glad I shall be when the furze-bush and clover
Stand up in their garments of yellow and red;
When the butterfly comes like a holiday rover,
And grasshoppers cheerily jump as we tread.
All the sweet, wild flowers then will be shining,
All the high trees will be covered with green;
We'll gather the rarest of blossoms for twining,
And garland the brow of some bonnie, May Queen.
Like the branches so gay, we'll go dancing away,
With our cheeks in the sunlight, and voices of mirth;
And then we'll go straying,
And playing
And Maying,
And praise all the loveliness showered on earth.
Stand up in their garments of yellow and red;
When the butterfly comes like a holiday rover,
And grasshoppers cheerily jump as we tread.
All the sweet, wild flowers then will be shining,
All the high trees will be covered with green;
We'll gather the rarest of blossoms for twining,
And garland the brow of some bonnie, May Queen.
Like the branches so gay, we'll go dancing away,
With our cheeks in the sunlight, and voices of mirth;
And then we'll go straying,
And playing
And Maying,
And praise all the loveliness showered on earth.
| The Poetical Works of Eliza Cook | |