Classic Poem

O L IFE'S ringing morn! O season divine!
What though thou art vanished, we shall not repine,
We yesterday loved, and to-day 'tis the same,
And to-morrow we'll love with unchangeable flame.

Once, a troop of wild Burschen, so frolic and gay,
We went to the village to welcome the May;
To each door came the maidens, all laughing, to see;
Then, darling, thou laughed, but in secret on me.

At the May-feast, thou gavest — O moment of bliss! —
Thy hand to my pressure, thy lip to my kiss;
Thou wert mine, I was thine, thou delight of my heart,
By a link that eternity never can part!

Not all unenjoyed did the summer-rose fade,
For I brought thee a nosegay, thou beautiful maid;
We shared at the harvest, the dance, and the song,
We shared the ripe clusters, nor thought the day long.

And now that the cold tyrant winter doth reign,
And the storms sweep the mountain and deluge the plain,
With one heart, by our fireside, we sit midst the din:
In the heart is the Summer, when Love blooms within.

O Life's happy morning! O time of delight! —
Thou art with us, since Love doth our bosoms unite,
We loved one another, we still love the same,
And we ever shall love with unchangeable flame!