Classic Poem

Sweet season of sun! thou hast reached us at last,
And hast banished before thee the rude Winter-blast;
Thou hast spread thy gold wings on th' auspicious gale,
And come gliding along, like a ship in full sail, —
And we welcome thee, — season of sun and of joy
For thou comest to cherish, and not to destroy.

Thou hast brought with thee flowers of the loveliest hue,
And hast opened their bosoms to welcome the dew;
Hast stored them with sweets for the proud little Bee,
And inanimate Nature now blushes to thee; —
For all things look gay that thou smilest upon,
Though but lately they seemed half dejected or gone.

The Songsters that wing through the azure expanse
Have caroled thy praise, as they saw thee advance,
And swept doubly swift through the regions of air,
When thy first aspirations they tasted so rare,
And felt thy warm rays melt the snow-drops away,
And beheld the bright eye of the world so gay.

The dull heart is cheered by thy radiance bright,
And its dark-clouded sorrow is changed into light;
And the languishing look of the Invalid's eye
Is raised with delight to the blue meteor sky;
And his hopes spring anew, like the gay-coloured flower
That looks upon thee, its own God, from the bower.

No gloomy cloud now hangs a pall o'er the sky,
And engenders the storm in its breast secretly; —
No hurricane sweeps with revenge o'er our heads,
And tears the lone Mariner's sail-cloth to shreds; —
No cold biting winds chill the fluid of life,
These visitants dark are now gone with their strife.

Yes, these are dispersed by thy genial touch,
For thy presence has now made us strangers to such;
Thy light fairy foot makes the earth glad as thee,
And enlivens the heart of the bond and the free;
And we welcome thee, season of sun and of joy!
For thou comest to cherish and not to destroy.