Songs of Summer (Begins May 1st)

Summer, the king of seasons
wears a cloak of all colours.
Nothing can stop the blackbird singing
when he gets a hint of morning.

The thieving cuckoo is glad to call
his welcome,
I can’t imagine bad weather.
The land is home.

The skilled fingers of a breeze
plays the harp of the forest.
Close your eyes, you hear music,
north, south, east and west.

Ireland in Maytime (Photo by Brendan R. O’Gorman)

Men flourish like wheat,
women are proud as fields.
All things hope to be perfect:-
I begin to believe in peace.

A flock of birds descends
into a stretch of grass:
there is a rustling, whispering
a sense of singing and laughter.

I have this longing to race horses
all over the land from shore to shore.
Come with me!
Each will find how wild is the other…

But not just yet – listen!
That great-hearted singer, the lark
is singing how we feel;
The joy of summer is God’s work.

~Brendan Kennelly