A Summer Day

Oh, the whole world is bathed in glimmer, As the long shadows over the grass Play about the wild woods, lightly, With cresting waves of gleeful class.

Brightest colors flood each flower, Every creature gains its worth; As if the sun and sounds conspired To paint with joy the face of earth.

And in this Eden, no more wondering, Breathe in the breezes of fairness made, Let laughter fade into the distance, Where delights of nature never fade.

• James Russell Lowell