"For May will have no sluggardy a-night:
The season pricketh every gentle heart,
And maketh him out of his sleep to start."
[9.] coronal. A crown of flowers, a chaplet. As at the Roman banquets. On such occasions it was usual for the host to give chaplets to his guests. Festoons of flowers were also sometimes hung over their necks and breasts. The chaplet, or coronal, was regarded as a cheerful ornament and symbol of festivity.
[10.] the babe leaps up. That is for joy. See the poem, "My heart leaps up," on page [46].
[11.] there's a tree. Compare this thought with that contained in the following lines:
"Only, one little sight, one plant,
. . . whene'er the leaf grows there
Its drop comes from my heart, that's all."
—Browning's May and Death.
[12.] pansy. The flower of thought. From Fr. pensée, thought; penser, to think. "It probably derived its name, thought or fancy, from its fanciful appearance."—Nares. Another derivation of the word is from panacea, meaning all-heal, a name given by the Greeks to a plant which was popularly supposed to cure diseases and dispel sorrow. The notion that the pansy is a cure for grief is shown in its common English name, heart's-ease.
[13.] Our birth is but a sleep. The idea of pre-existence was a favorite one of the ancient philosophers. The doctrine of metempsychosis, a form of the same idea, was held by the ancient Egyptians and is still maintained by the Buddhists. Tennyson says:
"As old mythologies relate,
Some draught of Lethe might await
The slipping through from state to state.
"And if I lapsed from nobler place,
Some legend of a fallen race
Alone might hint of my disgrace."—Two Voices.