Verses of Vernal Promise: Nora Perry’s Springtime Poetry

May 13, 1896

On this day, dear readers, we bid farewell to Nora Perry, an American poet, newspaper correspondent, and writer whose verses captured the essence of spring's awakening.

Though she has left this mortal coil, her words continue to bloom in the gardens of our minds, as fresh and vibrant as the season she so lovingly described.

Let us, for a moment, immerse ourselves in the lyrical beauty of Perry's poem, "What May Be."

When the days are longer, longer,
And the sun shines stronger, stronger,
And the winds cease blowing, blowing,
And the winter's chance of snowing
Is lost in springtime weather.

Can you not feel the gathering warmth of the lengthening days?

Can you not sense the softening of winter's harsh grip?

Perry's repetition of "longer, longer" and "stronger, stronger" seems to echo the gradual, yet inexorable march of spring, each day stretching further into the light, each sunbeam growing more potent.

But it is in her poem "The Coming of Spring" that Perry truly captures the subtle magic of the changing seasons.

Let us savor these lines:

All this changing tint,
This whispering stir and hint
Of bud and bloom and wing,
Is the coming of the spring.

Oh, how deftly Perry paints the picture of spring's arrival!

Can you not see the soft greens and pinks beginning to tint the landscape?

Can you not hear the gentle rustling of new leaves and the first tentative chirps of returning birds?

As the poem continues, Perry describes the silent yet swift progress of spring:

So, silently but swift,
Above the wintry drift,
The long days gain and gain,
Until on hill and plain—
Once more, and yet once more,
Returning as before,
We see the bloom of birth
Make young again the earth

Here, Perry captures the eternal cycle of renewal, the miracle that unfolds before our eyes each year.

Can you not feel a sense of wonder at this recurring rebirth?

The phrase "Once more, and yet once more" seems to echo the heartbeat of the earth itself, pulsing with new life as winter retreats.

As we reflect on Nora Perry's poetic legacy, let us consider how her words might inspire our own appreciation of the changing seasons. Perhaps, as we tend our gardens or take a stroll through a park, we might pause to notice the "whispering stir and hint of bud and bloom and wing" that Perry so beautifully described.

In our fast-paced world, do we take the time to observe the gradual "changing tint" of the world around us?

Do we marvel at how the earth is made "young again" each spring?

Nora Perry's poetry reminds us to slow down, to observe, and to celebrate the miraculous transformation that occurs each year. As we bid farewell to this poetess of spring, let us carry her words with us into our gardens and our daily lives. For in doing so, we keep alive not only her memory but also the sense of wonder and joy that spring eternal in the human heart.

So, dear readers, the next time you spot a newly unfurled leaf or hear the first song of a returning bird, pause for a moment.

Remember Nora Perry and her beautiful verses.

And perhaps, in that moment, you too will feel the earth being made young again, "Once more, and yet once more."