Sweet Wild April



O sweet wild April
Came over the hills,
He skipped with the winds
And he tripped with the rills;
His raiment was all
Of the daffodils.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

O sweet wild April
Came down the lea,
Dancing along
With his sisters three:
Carnation, and Rose,
And tall Lily.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

O sweet wild April,
On pastoral quill
Came piping in moonlight
By hollow and hill,
In starlight at midnight,
By dingle and rill.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

Where sweet wild April
His melody played,
Trooped cowslip, and primrose,
And iris, the maid,
And silver narcissus,
A star in the shade.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

When sweet wild April
Dipped down the dale,
Pale cuckoopint brightened,
And windflower trail,
And white-thorn, the wood-bride,
In virginal veil.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

When sweet wild April
Through deep woods pressed,
Sang cuckoo above him,
And lark on his crest,
And Philomel fluttered
Close under his breast.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

O sweet wild April,
Wherever you went
The bondage of winter
Was broken and rent,
Sank elfin ice-city
And frost-goblin's tent.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

Yet sweet wild April,
The blithe, the brave,
Fell asleep in the fields
By a windless wave
And Jack-in-the-Pulpit
Preached over his grave.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

O sweet wild April,
Farewell to thee!
And a deep sweet sleep
To thy sisters three, -
Carnation, and Rose,
And tall Lily.
Sing hi,
Sing hey,
Sing ho!

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

1:18 min read
86

Quick analysis:

Scheme AbxbxbCDE AfxfGFCDE AhihihCDE ajgjxjCDE AkxkxkCDE AlxlxlCDE AmxmfmCDE anxnxnCDE AfxfGFCDE
Closest metre Iambic dimeter
Characters 1,364
Words 260
Stanzas 9
Stanza Lengths 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9, 9

William Force Stead

William Force Stead was an American diplomat and poet, who became an Anglican clergyman and chaplain of Worcester College, Oxford. He is best known for his editorial work on Christopher Smart. more…

All William Force Stead poems | William Force Stead Books

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