Warm summer sun, shine kindly here; Warm southern wind, blow softly here; Green sod above, lie light, lie light — Good night, dear heart, good night, good night.
—Mark TwainHow sociable the garden was. We ate and talked in given light. The children put their toys to grass All the warm wakeful August night.
—Thomas GunnUnder Orion on the green-waved lawn I float, high — New moon, old craft Tide strong as ever to the sheer horizon.
—Rose StyronThe moon is at her full, and riding high, Floods the calm fields with light. The airs that hover in the summer sky Are all asleep to-night.
—William Cullen BryantHe stood beside a cottage lone And listened to a lute, One summer’s eve, when the breeze was gone, And the nightingale was mute.
—Thomas K. HerveySleepy and suburban at dusk, I learn again the yard’s geometry, edging around the garden and the weedy knots of flowers.
—Robert WrigleyLife has loveliness to sell, All beautiful and splendid things, Blue waves whitened on a cliff, Soaring fire that sways and sings, And children’s faces looking up, Holding wonder like a cup.
—Sara TeasdaleI am waiting for my case to come up And I am waiting For a rebirth of wonder And I am waiting for someone To really discover America.
—Lawrence FerlinghettiPeacefully The quiet stars came out, one after one; The holy twilight fell upon the sea, The summer day was done.
—Celia ThaxterNothing ever stops; it divides and multiplies, and I guess sometimes it gets ground down superfine, but it doesn’t just blow away.
—Ralph EllisonO Day after day we can’t help growing older. Year after year spring can’t help seeming younger. Come let’s enjoy our winecup today, Nor pity the flowers fallen.
—Wang WeiWithout courage we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can’t be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.
—Maya AngelouDance! Whirl! Whirl! Till the quick day is done. Rest at pale evening . . . A tall, slim tree . . . Night coming tenderly Black like me.
—Langston HughesEnd of the spring and here she comes back Hi hi hi hi there Them summer days, those summer days That’s when I had most of my fun, back there.
—Sly StoneIn the world of friends, where travel is slower, What do you do there, in the world of rain? Who shares the segments of your tangerine? Which exams do you take again?
—Andrei VoznesenskyThe self-same moment I could pray; And from my neck so free The Albatross fell off, and sank Like lead into the sea.
—Samuel Taylor ColeridgeThere’s crimson buds, and white and blue, The very rainbow showers Have turned to blossoms where they fell, And sown the earth with flowers.
—Thomas HoodLet the wind blow greedy Gusts against the branches Until the treetops rattle And the buds are hard. Wait, spring, till the earth is ready For the flowering.
—Dionis Coffin RiggsRain sweetened the cave and the dove still called; The flowers leaned on themselves, the flowers in hollows; And love, love sang toward.
—Theodore RoethkeNo more gems to be gathered So let us all press on When Jesus comes to claim us And says it is enough The diamonds will be shining No longer in the rough.
—John Prine