 | Along the trail |  |
SWALLOW SONG
(From the Greek)
Hurrah, the swallow, the swallow is come,
Bringing the spring from his southern home,
The beautiful hours, the beautiful year!
Hurrah, the swallow is back from his flight,
With his back of jet and his breast of white,
The Summer's earliest harbinger!
Bringing the spring from his southern home,
The beautiful hours, the beautiful year!
Hurrah, the swallow is back from his flight,
With his back of jet and his breast of white,
The Summer's earliest harbinger!
91
Come, roll out some figs from your cellar, old fellow!
Bring a beaker of wine that is ruddy and mellow,
And a wicker crate heaped up with cheeses!
Be it bread of pulse or bread of wheat,
The swallow will not disdain to eat.
Oh, the swallow and spring and the buds and the breezes!
Bring a beaker of wine that is ruddy and mellow,
And a wicker crate heaped up with cheeses!
Be it bread of pulse or bread of wheat,
The swallow will not disdain to eat.
Oh, the swallow and spring and the buds and the breezes!
Will you send us away, or shall we receive
The best that your larder is able to give?
We warn you—be generous, for if you say nay,
Your gate shall be torn from its hinge and destroyed,
Or your wife, who is sitting within, be decoyed,—
She is small, we can easily bear her away.
The best that your larder is able to give?
We warn you—be generous, for if you say nay,
Your gate shall be torn from its hinge and destroyed,
Or your wife, who is sitting within, be decoyed,—
She is small, we can easily bear her away.
Bring your gifts to the swallow, but if you bring aught,
Bring all that you can, bring more than is sought;
Open your doors for his welcoming;
For we are not grey old men, not we,
But children who laugh in juvenile glee,
And sing in life's springtide this song of the spring.
Bring all that you can, bring more than is sought;
Open your doors for his welcoming;
For we are not grey old men, not we,
But children who laugh in juvenile glee,
And sing in life's springtide this song of the spring.
1883
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