Ode To Maius Mensis (Latin For Month Of May) Poem by Mary Naylor

Hail to thee, laughing lady of May!
Thou art crowned with flowers by children at play.
We bow to thee, sweet goddess of spring!
Bend down thy head, let us crown thee, Queen.

Hail, all hail, to Maius Mensis,
Whose beauty fills, and overflows our senses.
Italic goddess of spring, wife of Vulcan,
Children dance around thy maypole, to the tunes of Pan!

But, to me, thou art the sun-warmed nose of some little lass,
Or a budding, lonely flower, spreading out in the grass.
Or, maybe, a frazzled, bird with a twig in its beak,
Trying so hard, to build its nest, by the edge of the creek.

Hail to thee, laughing lady of May!
Thou art crowned with flowers by children at play.
We bow to thee, sweet goddess of spring.
Bend down thy head, for this circlet of flowers we bring!