An English Day-Book - IV. Lemady: Maying Song

"Arise! O hark! The nightingales are singing,

The larks they are taking their flight into the air,

And in ev’ry green border the turtle doves are

building,

Just as the sun is glimmering: arise my dear!

Lemady, lemady, lemady.

Arise! The birds are sweetly singing,

The fields and the meadows are covered with

green,

So pleasant and so charming,

So early in the morning by the break of day.

Arise! The moon shines bright, the stars give

a light

A little before the day:

Our heav’nly Father he called to us

And bid us wake and pray.

Awake my pretty love,

Out of your drowsy dream,

And step into your dairy below

And fetch me a load of cream.

If not a bowl of your sweet cream,

A snug of your brown beer,

For the Lord knows when we shall meet again

To be Maying another year.

Turn to the Lord and our sweet God,

O turn to Him with praise,

For when we are dead and in our graves,

We are nothing but dust and clay.

Arise my love!

I have plucked fair posies,

The choicest of flowers that grow in the grove,

I have gathered them all for thee, my love,

My love, for thee, Lemady!"