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Poem
July 7, 1845
The Caledonian
Saint Johnsbury, Caledonia County, Vermont
What is this article about?
Mary Howitt's poem 'Birds in Summer' envies the joyful, free life of birds flitting through leafy trees, breezy seas, clouds, and waterfalls, highlighting their harmonious calls, flights, and connection to nature in summer.
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Poetry.
BIRDS IN SUMMER.
BY MARY HOWITT
How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Flitting about in each leafy tree;
In the leafy tree so broad and tall,
Like a green and beautiful palace hall,
With its airy chambers, light and free,
That open to sun, and stars and moon;
That open unto the bright blue sky,
And the frolicsome winds as they wander by.
They have left their nests in the forest bough,
Those homes of delight they need not now;
And the young and the old they wander out,
And traverse their green world round about;
And, hark! at the top of this leafy hall,
How one to the other they lovingly call,
"Come up, come up!" they seem to say,
"Where the topmost twigs on the breezes sway!"
"Come up, come up, for the world is fair,
Where the merry leaves dance in the summer air!"
And the birds below give back the cry,
"We come, we come, to the branches high!"
How pleasant the life of the birds must be,
Living in love in a leafy tree;
And away through the air what joy to go,
And to look on the green, bright earth below!
How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Skimming about on the breezy sea,
Cresting the billows like silvery foam,
And then wheeling away to its cliff-built home!
What joy it must be to sail, upborne
By a strong, free wind, through the rosy morn,
To meet the young sun face to face,
And pierce like a shaft the boundless space!
To pass through the bowers of the silver cloud,
And to sing in the thunder-halls aloud;
To spread out the wings for a wild, free flight
With the upper cloud-winds,—oh what delight!
Oh what would I give, like a bird, to go
Right on through the arch of the sun-lit bow,
And to see how the water drops are kissed
Into green, and yellow, and amethyst!
How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Wherever it listeth there to flee;
To go when a joyful fancy calls
Dashing adown 'mong the waterfalls,
Then wheeling about with its mates at play,
Above and below, and among the spray,
Hither and thither, with screams as wild
As the laughing mirth of a rosy child!
What joy it must be, like a living breeze,
To flutter about 'mong the flowering trees;
Lightly to soar, and to see beneath
The wastes of the blossoming purple heath,
And the yellow furze, like fields of gold,
That gladden some fairy region old;
On mountain tops, on the billowy sea,
On the leafy stems of the forest tree,
How pleasant the life of a bird must be!
BIRDS IN SUMMER.
BY MARY HOWITT
How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Flitting about in each leafy tree;
In the leafy tree so broad and tall,
Like a green and beautiful palace hall,
With its airy chambers, light and free,
That open to sun, and stars and moon;
That open unto the bright blue sky,
And the frolicsome winds as they wander by.
They have left their nests in the forest bough,
Those homes of delight they need not now;
And the young and the old they wander out,
And traverse their green world round about;
And, hark! at the top of this leafy hall,
How one to the other they lovingly call,
"Come up, come up!" they seem to say,
"Where the topmost twigs on the breezes sway!"
"Come up, come up, for the world is fair,
Where the merry leaves dance in the summer air!"
And the birds below give back the cry,
"We come, we come, to the branches high!"
How pleasant the life of the birds must be,
Living in love in a leafy tree;
And away through the air what joy to go,
And to look on the green, bright earth below!
How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Skimming about on the breezy sea,
Cresting the billows like silvery foam,
And then wheeling away to its cliff-built home!
What joy it must be to sail, upborne
By a strong, free wind, through the rosy morn,
To meet the young sun face to face,
And pierce like a shaft the boundless space!
To pass through the bowers of the silver cloud,
And to sing in the thunder-halls aloud;
To spread out the wings for a wild, free flight
With the upper cloud-winds,—oh what delight!
Oh what would I give, like a bird, to go
Right on through the arch of the sun-lit bow,
And to see how the water drops are kissed
Into green, and yellow, and amethyst!
How pleasant the life of a bird must be,
Wherever it listeth there to flee;
To go when a joyful fancy calls
Dashing adown 'mong the waterfalls,
Then wheeling about with its mates at play,
Above and below, and among the spray,
Hither and thither, with screams as wild
As the laughing mirth of a rosy child!
What joy it must be, like a living breeze,
To flutter about 'mong the flowering trees;
Lightly to soar, and to see beneath
The wastes of the blossoming purple heath,
And the yellow furze, like fields of gold,
That gladden some fairy region old;
On mountain tops, on the billowy sea,
On the leafy stems of the forest tree,
How pleasant the life of a bird must be!
What sub-type of article is it?
Pastoral
Ode
Song
What themes does it cover?
Nature Seasons
What keywords are associated?
Birds
Summer
Nature
Freedom
Joy
Flight
Trees
Sea
What entities or persons were involved?
By Mary Howitt
Poem Details
Title
Birds In Summer.
Author
By Mary Howitt
Key Lines
How Pleasant The Life Of A Bird Must Be,
Flitting About In Each Leafy Tree;
"Come Up, Come Up!" They Seem To Say,
Where The Topmost Twigs On The Breezes Sway!
And To Look On The Green, Bright Earth Below!