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Home  »  The Oxford Book of English Verse  »  586. May

Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.

Edward Thurlow, Lord Thurlow. 1781–1829

586. May

MAY! queen of blossoms, 
  And fulfilling flowers, 
With what pretty music 
  Shall we charm the hours? 
Wilt thou have pipe and reed,         5
Blown in the open mead? 
Or to the lute give heed 
  In the green bowers? 
 
Thou hast no need of us, 
  Or pipe or wire;  10
Thou hast the golden bee 
  Ripen’d with fire; 
And many thousand more 
Songsters, that thee adore, 
Filling earth’s grassy floor  15
  With new desire. 
 
Thou hast thy mighty herds, 
  Tame and free-livers; 
Doubt not, thy music too 
  In the deep rivers;  20
And the whole plumy flight 
Warbling the day and night— 
Up at the gates of light, 
  See, the lark quivers!