The Nightingale In woods where the nightingale doth sing, With melodies that stir the soul, Each note like raindrops in the spring, Awakening life to make it whole.

The leaves dance gently in the breeze, A chorus of their whispered dreams, While nature weaves her symphonies, In gilded light and silver beams.

Oh nightingale, with voice so clear, Your song a balm for weary eyes, You echo joy, and yet a tear, For love and loss, beneath the skies.

So let your melodies inspire, That every heart shall find its way, In warmth and peace, in wild desire, To know the magic of the day.

— Excerpt from “The Nightingale” (not an actual poem of Melville)

• Herman Melville