“A Rainy Day in April” by Francis Ledwidge

A Rainy Day in April

When the clouds shake their hyssops, and the rain
Like holy water falls upon the plain,
'Tis sweet to gaze upon the springing grain
      And see your harvest born.

And sweet the little breeze of melody
The blackbird puffs upon the budding tree,
While the wild poppy lights upon the lea
      And blazes 'mid the corn.

The skylark soars the freshening shower to hail,
And the meek daisy holds aloft her pail,
And Spring all radiant by the wayside pale
      Sets up her rock and reel.

See how she weaves her mantle fold on fold,
Hemming the woods and carpeting the wold.
Her warp is of the green, her woof the gold.
       The spinning world her wheel.


Francis Ledwidge's poem "A Rainy Day in April" was published in Georgian Poetry 1913-1915. To read the poem in this publication context, follow the links below:

Archive.org

HathiTrust 

Project Gutenberg (text version)