The Four Seasons

by Carl Ewald

Then it sounded as if a thousand light feet were running over the ground: it was the first rain-drops coming. The next moment, the rain poured down till every sound was drowned in its splashing.

There came a terrible lightning, which made everything visible, but which dazzled all eyes, so that they could not see. Then came the blackest darkness and then the thunder, till the mountains shook again.

But through the thunder sounded Summer’s accents; and never had any heard so loud a voice:

“It is I, Summer, who am come to reign over the land. Mine is the thunder that roars over the valley. Hark!... The echo rolls from the mountains; the earth rumbles under my foot: it is Summer coming.”

The thunder ceased, but the rain kept on pouring. And through the rain spoke Summer’s accents; and never had any heard so soft a voice:

“It is I, Summer, who am come to reign over the land. All that is green shall be greener still; all that is fair shall be a thousand-fold fairer. The scent of the flower shall be sweeter yet; and the sound of the bird’s trill shall be deeper and fuller. The days shall break earlier in the East and be lighter and warmer; the nights shall be cool and still; and there shall be no end to the joy of the morning nor to the evening’s peace.”

When the Prince of Summer had spoken, while all things in the valley bowed and listened and understood, the thunder ceased and the rain fell no longer.

Tall and straight and radiant, Summer advanced through his kingdom.

And, wherever he came, the clouds parted and vanished east and west behind the hills. The sky grew clear again and the drops of water that hung on every twig and every blade of grass glistened in the sunlight. The flowers opened, the birds came out from under the leafage, the stag left his cover and plunged his muzzle into the wet grass.

But, when the last cloud was gone and the sun had dried up the last drop of water and every single trace of the storm was removed, nevertheless things were nowhere the same as they were before the thunder passed over the valley.