Vale of tempe : poems / by Madison J. Cawein [electronic text]

VAGABONDS

I

IT 's ho, it 's ho! when hawtrees blow Among the hills that Springtime thrills; When huckleberries, row on row, Hang out their blossom-bells of snow Around the rills that music fills: When hawtrees blow Among the hills, It 's ho, it 's ho! oh, let us go, My love and I, where fancy wills.

II

It 's hey, it's hey! when daisies swayAmong the meads where Summer speeds;When ripeness bends each fruited spray,And harvest wafts adown the day

The feathered seeds of golden weeds: When daisies sway Among the meads, It 's hey, it 's hey! oh, let 's away, My heart and I, where longing leads.

III

It 's ay, it 's ay! when red leaves fly,And strew the ways where Autumn strays; When 'round the beech and chestnut lie The sturdy burs, and creeks run dry,And frosts and haze turn golds to grays: When red leaves fly And strew the ways, It 's ay, it 's ay! oh, let us hie,My love and I, where dreaming says.

IV

Wassail! wassail! when snow and hailMake white the lands where Winter stands;

When wild winds from the forests flail The last dead leaves, and, in the gale,The trees wring hands in ghostly bands: When snow and hail Make white the lands, Wassail, wassail! oh, let us trail,My heart and I, where love commands.