Phebe Ann Holder’s Poem for Spring: A Song of May
This botanical history post was featured on The Daily Gardener podcast:
1890 Phebe Holder's poem, A Song of May, appeared in newspapers this month.
In addition to her religious poems, Phebe wrote about the natural world.
Gardeners delight in her poems for spring and fall.
Phebe is a fabulous New England Victorian poet and gardener I love and admire.
She loved the delicate plants of springtime and wrote a poem called A Song of May.
What song hast thou, sweet May, for me,
My listening ear what song for thee?
A song of life from growing things,
The life thy gentle presence brings;
The tender light of budding spray.
The blooming down on willow grey,
The living green that earth overspreads,
The creamy flowers on mossy beds.
From blossoms pure with petals white
As pressed from out the moonbeam's light.
The fragrant lily of the vale,
The violet's breath on passing gale:
Anemones mid last year's*leaves,
Arbutus sweet in trailing wreaths,
From waving lights of forest glade
The light ferns hiding neath the shade.
A song of joy from wood and plain,
From birds in old-time haunts again;
The silvery laugh of tuneful rill
O'er rocky bed, down craggy hill;
Soft coming of warm dropping showers,
The sighing wind in piney bowers;
The music breathed by low-voiced waves,
For listening, from ocean caves,
A plaintive strain doth memory sing,
A breathing of departed Spring:
An unseen Presence in the home,
A spirit voice-"The Master's come!".
While hearts in tender sorrow wept
O'er one beloved who silent slept,
Who in the May-time long ago
Passed the pearl gates of glory through.
A grateful song, our God, to Thee
For treasures of the earth and sea;
For all the beauty Thou hast given;
A dream to loving hearts, of heaven;
A song of life, of joy, of love,
Of trust, of faith in light adore
This offering on thy shrine I lay;
This song hast thou for me, sweet May.
Phebe's A Song of May recalls the flowers of spring.
In the second verse, she's touching on many great spring beauties: the Lily of the Valley, violets, anemones, The Mayflower (also known as the trailing arbutus), and then, of course, ferns.
In May, fern fronds cover the woodlands and understories. Once they get growing, all of these spring plants emerge very quickly. The ground transforms from leaf-littered—brown, drab, and dreary—to excellent with beautiful little blossoms.
