THE MAY-POLE.
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Round the May-pole, on the grass, Mer-ry lit-tle foot-steps pass; In the mid-dle Bes-sie stands, With the May-pole in her hands; While her play-mates dance and sing Round her in an end-less ring. Soon, in-deed, a feast they'll make, Cow-slip tea, with nice plum-cake— And so our leave of them we'll take. |
THE FIRST OF MAY.
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The haw-thorn blos-som, snow-y white, Hangs thick upon the hedge to-day; With many flow-ers the fields are bright Upon this mer-ry First of May. So let us ga-ther flow-er-ets fair, And blos-soms from the haw-thorn spray, To deck our May-pole stand-ing there, Upon this mer-ry First of May. And then, like fai-ries, in a ring, A-round it we will dance or play, And all our glad-dest songs will sing Upon this mer-ry First of May. And dear-est Maud shall there be seen With crown of haw-thorn blos-soms gay, And she shall be our lit-tle queen, Upon this mer-ry First of May. |
UNI-VER-SAL PRAISE.
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See how na-ture now re-joices In this sun-ny month of May; Still to God from all its voices Giv-ing prais-es day by day. In the glad green wood-land al-leys Ev-e-ry bird its an-them trills! While flocks feed-ing in the val-leys, Herds up-on a thou-sand hills, Join with ev-ery crea-ture liv-ing, Here on land, in air, or sea, In one great world-wide thanks-giv-ing, Yield-ing praise, O God, to Thee! All a-round us swells the cho-rus From this good-ly world of ours, And earth's al-tar stands be-fore us Sweet with in-cense from her flow-ers. So, with Na-ture still con-fess-ing His great good-ness, let us pay Grate-ful hom-age for each bless-ing Of this sun-ny month of May. |