May 2018
How pleasant to recall the light of spring,
Which with effulgence breaks the woodland morn,
As we through beech-clad glade walk marveling
At overlay of Bluebells gayly born.
We then trace mud-caked paths to yonder mead
To view the golden oilseed spanning wide,
And though a time or two a compass need,
We come content to where we both abide.
As time proceeds new seasons it contains:
The vibrant foliage thick in summer’s sun,
The vivid leaves an autumn tree retains,
Then hoary-frosted bark, by winter won.
Yet still the spring should rest within the heart,
For in the spring all other things did start.
Nathaniel McKee’s interest in classical poetry first grew while studying for a master’s in business administration at the University of Oxford, UK. Somehow this whimsical place deepened an already strong appreciation for the humanities, even as he studied business. Nathaniel’s literary interests include Greek and Roman classics, 18th-19th century English literature, 18th-19th century French literature, the Bible, and history in general. He currently purchases agricultural commodities and energy for a mid-sized food manufacturing company in the foothills of southeastern Tennessee, USA, where he lives with his wife, Bethany.
A welcome little bit of fresh air, and I needed a short double take on seeing the word gayly (or gaily) used to mean what it used to mean since a few centuries before the time of Chaucer. The writing of sonnets is often an exercise in compression but NTM manages to squeeze all four seasons in.
Not bad at all. I thought I was reading something by John Clare.
Thank you, guys, glad to share a brief verbal picture of springtime in my home away from home.