A Song of the Four Seasons 769

A SONG OF THE FOUR SEASONS

WHEN Spring comes laughing

By vale and hill,

By wind-flower walking

And daffodil,

Sing stars of morning,

Sing morning skies,
Sing blue of speedwell,—
And my Love's eyes.

When comes the Summer,
Full-leaved and strong,

And gay birds gossip

The orchard long,

Sing hid, sweet honey
That no bee sips;
Sing red, red roses,-

And my Love's lips.

When Autumn scatters

The leaves again,
And piled sheaves bury

The broad-wheeled wain,—

Sing flutes of harvest

Where men rejoice;

Sing rounds of reapers,-
And my Love's voice.

But when comes Winter
With hail and storm,
And red fire roaring

And ingle warm,—

Sing first sad going

Of friends that part;

Then sing glad meeting,

And my Love's heart.

Austin Dobson [1840

THE LOVE-KNOT

TYING her bonnet under her chin,
She tied her raven ringlets in;
But not alone in the silken snare
Did she catch her lovely floating hair,
For, tying her bonnet under her chin,
She tied a young man's heart within.

They were strolling together up the hill,
Where the wind came blowing merry and chill;
And it blew the curls, a frolicsome race,
All over the happy peach-colored face.
Till, scolding and laughing, she tied them in,
Under her beautiful, dimpled chin.

And it blew a color, bright as the bloom
Of the pinkest fuchsia's tossing plume,
All over the checks of the prettiest girl
That ever imprisoned a romping curl,
Or, in tying her bonnet under her chin,
Tied a young man's heart within.

Steeper and steeper grew the hill,
Madder, merrier, chillier still

The western wind blew down, and played
The wildest tricks with the little maid,
As, tying her bonnet under her chin,
She tied a young man's heart within.

O western wind, do you think it was fair
To play such tricks with her floating hair?
To gladly, gleefully, do your best

To blow her against the young man's breast,
Where he as gladly folded her in,

And kissed her mouth and her dimpled chin?

Ah! Ellery Vane, you little thought,
An hour ago, when you besought

Riding Down

This country lass to walk with you,
After the sun had dried the dew,
What terrible danger you'd be in,

As she tied her bonnet under her chin!

771

Nora Perry [1832-1896]

RIDING DOWN

Он, did you see him riding down,
And riding down, while all the town
Came out to see, came out to see,
And all the bells rang mad with glee?

Oh, did you hear those bells ring out,
The bells ring out, the people shout,
And did you hear that cheer on cheer
That over all the bells rang clear?

And did you see the waving flags,

The fluttering flags, the tattered flags,

Red, white, and blue, shot through and through,
Baptized with battle's deadly dew?

And did you hear the drums' gay beat,
The drums' gay beat, the bugles sweet,
The cymbals' clash, the cannons' crash,
That rent the sky with sound and flash?

And did you see me waiting there,
Just waiting there, and watching there,
One little lass, amid the mass
That pressed to see the hero pass?

And did you see him smiling down,

And smiling down, as riding down
With slowest pace, with stately grace,
He caught the vision of a face,—

My face uplifted red and white,

Turned red and white with sheer delight,

To meet the eyes, the smiling eyes,
Outflashing in their swift surprise?

Oh, did you see how swift it came,
How swift it came like sudden flame,
That smile to me, to only me.

The little lass who blushed to see?

And at the windows all along,
Oh, all along, a lovely throng
Of faces fair, beyond compare,
Beamed out upon him riding there!

Each face was like a radiant gem,
A sparkling gem, and yet for them
No swift smile came like sudden flame,
No arrowy glance took certain aim.

He turned away from all their grace,
From all that grace of perfect face,
He turned to me, to only me,

The little lass who blushed to see!

Nora Perry [1832-1896]

BALLAD OF EARL HALDAN'S DAUGHTER

Ir was Earl Haldan's daughter,

She looked across the sea;

She looked across the water,

And long and loud laughed she:

"The locks of six princesses

Must be my marriage fee:

So, hey, bonny boat, and ho, bonny boat!
Who comes a-wooing me?"

It was Earl Haldan's daughter,

She walked along the sand,

When she was aware of a knight so fair,

Came sailing to the land.

"Across the Fields to Anne" 773

His sails were all of velvet,

His mast of beaten gold,

And "Hey, bonny boat, and ho, bonny boat!
Who saileth here so bold?"

"The locks of five princesses
I won beyond the sea;
I clipped their golden tresses
To fringe a cloak for thee.
One handful yet is wanting,

But one of all the tale;

So, hey, bonny boat, and ho, bonny boat!
Furl up thy velvet sail!"

He leaped into the water,

That rover young and bold:

He gripped Earl Haldan's daughter,

He clipped her locks of gold: "Go weep, go weep, proud maiden, The tale is full to-day.

Now, hey, bonny boat, and ho, bonny boat!

Sail Westward ho! away!"

Charles Kingsley [1819-1875]

"ACROSS THE FIELDS TO ANNE"

How often in the summer-tide,

His graver business set aside,

Has stripling Will, the thoughtful-eyed,
As to the pipe of Pan,

Stepped blithesomely with lover's pride
Across the fields to Anne.

It must have been a merry mile,
This summer stroll by hedge and stile,
With sweet foreknowledge all the while
How sweet the pathway ran
To dear delights of kiss and smile,
Across the fields to Anne.