Century Magazine/Volume 48/Issue 1/Love and May-Time

Love, gentle Love, I am weary of waiting!
     Why hast thou lingered so long on the way?
Birds 'mid the boskage are wooing and mating:
                    It is May!

Cold was the Winter, with snow-plumy pinions,
     Holding our hearts in his insolent sway;
Now he is gone to his icy dominions:
                    It is May!

Brooks down the hillsides are leaping and singing,
     What makes their laughter so rollicking gay?
Why are the hedges with merriment ringing?
                    It is May.

Love, gentle Love, I would welcome thee gladly,
     Yet far aloof from my roof dost thou stray;
I cannot sing, for my song would fall sadly:
                    It is May!

Love, gentle Love, bring me joy without measure!
     Make me thy debtor this jubilant day;
Here is my heart in exchange for thy treasure:
               It is May! It is May!

This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.


The longest-living author of this work died in 1935, so this work is in the public domain in countries and areas where the copyright term is the author's life plus 88 years or less. This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.

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