Poetry Sunday: It Is Not Always May by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I remember that Frank Sinatra once sang about the September of our years and, goodness knows, September comes to us soon enough for, as Longfellow reminds us, "It is not always May." But May is one of the most pleasant months where I live and so, while it it remains, let's enjoy it!

It Is Not Always May

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 

No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano.

                Spanish Proverb 

The sun is bright,--the air is clear,
  The darting swallows soar and sing.
And from the stately elms I hear
  The bluebird prophesying Spring. 
So blue yon winding river flows,
  It seems an outlet from the sky,
Where waiting till the west-wind blows,
  The freighted clouds at anchor lie. 
All things are new;--the buds, the leaves,
  That gild the elm-tree's nodding crest,
And even the nest beneath the eaves;--
   There are no birds in last year's nest! 
All things rejoice in youth and love,
   The fulness of their first delight!
And learn from the soft heavens above
   The melting tenderness of night. 
Maiden, that read'st this simple rhyme,
   Enjoy thy youth, it will not stay;
Enjoy the fragrance of thy prime,
   For oh, it is not always May! 
Enjoy the Spring of Love and Youth,
   To some good angel leave the rest;
For Time will teach thee soon the truth,
  There are no birds in last year's nest! 

Comments

  1. David M. Gascoigne,May 18, 2025 at 5:57 AM

    A beautiful poem and oh so true! Thanks for digging up this one and sharing it with us, Dorothy.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 18, 2025 at 9:59 AM

      Google "dug it up" for me when I ask for poems about May. What would we ever do without Google!

      Delete
  2. jabblogMay 18, 2025 at 6:25 AM

    We do not appreciate what we have and sometimes regret its passing, but there is always the future, though maybe not as much future as once there was.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Deb Nance at ReaderbuzzMay 18, 2025 at 12:11 PM

    Oh, I don't think I have ever read this poem until now, and I feel this huge wave of sadness as I read it. Beautiful reminder! Thank you for sharing it today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 18, 2025 at 12:39 PM

      I don't think I had ever read it before I came across it last week, but it seems especially appropriate just now.

      Delete
  4. AlanaMay 20, 2025 at 3:10 PM

    I'm glad I first read it today, in my 70'. I never would have appreciated it when I was young. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Dorothy BordersMay 20, 2025 at 6:47 PM

      The years do give us a different perspective on things.

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Sunday: Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver

How about we share another Mary Oliver poem? After all, you can never have too many of those. In this one, the poet seems to acknowledge that it is often hard to simply live in and enjoy the moment, perhaps because we are afraid it can't last. She urges us to give in to that moment and fully experience the joy. Although "much can never be redeemed, still, life has some possibility left." Don't Hesitate by Mary Oliver If you suddenly and unexpectedly feel joy, don’t hesitate. Give in to it. There are plenty of lives and whole towns destroyed or about to be. We are not wise, and not very often kind. And much can never be redeemed. Still, life has some possibility left. Perhaps this is its way of fighting back, that sometimes something happens better than all the riches or power in the world. It could be anything, but very likely you notice it in the instant when love begins. Anyway, that’s often the case. Anyway, whatever it is, don’t be afraid of its plenty. Joy is no...
Read more

The Investigator by John Sandford: A review

Image
  I have read a few of John Sandford's books in the Prey series featuring Lucas Davenport. This book is a literal offspring of that series. It's the first in a series featuring Davenport's adopted daughter Letty Davenport. Letty is in her mid-20s and a graduate of Stanford. She works for a U.S. senator named Christopher Colles in a desk job but she's bored with her assignments. Then the senator offers her a chance to go into the field as a liaison between his office and the Department of Homeland Security.  In her first assignment in that position, she is sent to Texas along with DHS investigator John Kaiser to try to find out what is happening in regard to thefts of crude oil. The senator is not so concerned about the lost oil but wants to know where the money from its sale is going. Who is selling the oil and what they are doing with the profits? The suspicion is that a particularly nasty militia group led by a woman is involved. Letty and Kaiser head out to Texas, de...
Read more

Poetry Sunday: Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman

You probably remember poet Amanda Gorman from her appearance at the inauguration of President Biden. She read her poem "The Hill We Climb" on that occasion. After the senseless slaughter in Uvalde this week, she was inspired to write another poem which was published in The New York Times. It seemed perfect for the occasion and so I stole it in order to feature it here, just in case you didn't get a chance to read it in the Times . Hymn for the Hurting by Amanda Gorman Everything hurts, Our hearts shadowed and strange, Minds made muddied and mute. We carry tragedy, terrifying and true. And yet none of it is new; We knew it as home, As horror, As heritage. Even our children Cannot be children, Cannot be. Everything hurts. It’s a hard time to be alive, And even harder to stay that way. We’re burdened to live out these days, While at the same time, blessed to outlive them. This alarm is how we know We must be altered — That we must differ or die, That we must triumph or try. ...
Read more