SINGS OF BELTANE

SINGS OF BELTANE May-day, season surpassing! Splendid is color then. Blackbirds sing a full lay, if there be a slender shaft of day. The dust-colored cuckoo calls aloud: Welcome, splendid summer! The bitterness of bad weather is past, the boughs of the wood are a thicket. Summer cuts the river down, the swift herd of horses seeks the pool, the long hair of the heather is outspread, the soft white bog-down grows. Panic startles the heart of the deer, the smooth sea runs apace- season when ocean sinks asleep- blossom covers the world. Bees with puny strength carry a goodly burden, the harvest of blossoms; up the mountain-side kine take with them mud, the ant makes a rich meal. The harp of the forest sounds music, the sail gathers-perfect peace. Color has settled on every height, haze on the lake of full waters. The corncrake, a strenuous bard, discourses; the lofty virgin waterfall sings a welcome to the warm pool; the talk of ...