Burlington free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1827-1865, 1841-04-30

Sylvia replied, nee from home
Yet ventura, till this First of May;
1t is not fit for maids TO roam,
And make shepherd holiday.
tits most it, replied the yon,h,
That Sylvia should this First of May
BY me be taught that love and truth
Can make Of life holiday.
Lady Craren.
we CALL says Mr.. Leigh Hunt-'we call
upon the admirers of the good and beautiful
to help US in 'rescuing nature from obliquity.'
All you that are lovers of nature in books
lovers of music, painting, and poetry
ers of sweet sounds, and odors and colors,
and all the eloquent and happy face Of the
rural world with sunshine,- that are
lovers of your species, of youth, and health,
and old age,-of manly strength in the man
ly, of nymph-like graccs in the female,-of
air, of exercise, Of happy currents in your
veins,-of the light in great Natures pic
ture,-of all the gentle spiriting, the lowell
ness, the luxury, that now stands under the
smile of heaven, silent and solitary as your
felow-creatures have left it,-go forth on
ing, if thht be not fine, and pluck your flow
ers and your green boughs to adorn your
rooms with, and to show that you do not live
in vain. These April rains Qor May has
not yet come, according to the old style,
which is the proper one Of our climate
these April rains are fetching forth the full
luxury of the trees and hedges by the next
sunshine, all the green weather. as little
gladstone child called it, will have come
again the hedges will be SO many thick ver-
dant walls, the fields messy carpets, the trees
clothed to their iinger-tips with foliage, the
birds saturating the woods win song. Come
forth, come forth.*
| This was the great rural festival of our
forefathers. Their hearts responded merri-
" to the cheerfulncss of the season. At the
dawn of May -morning the lads and lasses
left their towns and villages, and repairing
to the woodlands by sound of music, they
gathered the May, or bossomed branches of
the trees, and bound them with wreaths of
flowers: then returning to their homes by
sunrise, they decorated the lattlccs and doors
with the swect-smctling spoil of their Joy
Gus journey, and spent the remaining hours
in sports aud pastimes.
Forbcar ccnsurc, gentle readers, and Kind
hearers, for quotations from poets they
have made the day especially their own:-
they are its annalsts. A poets invitation to
his mistress to enjoy the tcstlvity, is histori-
cal if he says to her, together let us range
he tells her for what and becomes IA grave
authority to the grave Antiquary. The
sweetest of all British bards that sing of our
customs, beautifully illustrates the Nav -da,
of England -
Get up, get up tor shame, the blooming morne
Upon her wing presents the God unshornc.
See how Aurora throwes her fare
| Fresh guile colours through the are;
| Get up swe t slu!-a-b,d d, aud see
The dew hcspanglng her e and tree.
Each tiowerhas wept, and how'd toward the cast,
Above an honre since, yet You not drest,
| NayI not so much L out Of beds
When all the buds have natteyns scyd,
And sang their thankful hymnts; us sin,
| Nay, PROCLAMATION 20 keep in,
| When as thou "A I'd ,irgIns this day,
Spring sooner than the lark, 10 fetch in Nav,
RS. and p IN your fol ace and be scene
To com forth. ike the spring time fresh and gre NJ
And sweet as Flora. Take care
For Jewels for yuar gownc OF hare;
Fear. not the leaves will strew
GommS in abunt upon YOU;
Besides, the childhood off the day has KEEP,
Against you come, some orient arls unwcp,.
Come, and receive them while the light
| Hangs ON the dew clocks of the night;
! And Titan on the eastern hill
| Retires hims life, or e stlnds still
TIL YOU comeiforth. Wash, dress, be priein ying
Few beads are best, when once we goe Ma!ny.
Come, my CORN Ia, come; an !, coming, narlc
How each field turns ',reet, each street parko
Made green, an trmm'd with trees zee how
Devotion gives each house q bough
Or branch each porch each door, ere this,
An arke. n tabernacle is,
Made up of white-horn neatly interwove;
As here were those cooler shades of love.
Can such delIghs c in the street,
And Oren fields aud we no. sect
Come, wei, abroad and let's ebay
, The proclamation made for May:
And SIN no more, rs W. have done hy staying;
But, my Corlnna, come, lets goea Mayihg.
There's not budding boy or girle, this day,
But i, got up, and zone 10 ing in May
= deae OF youth, re ths, i come
Back, and with Wh'e horn laden home.
Some have dlspacht their cakes and creamc
Before that we have left TO dr.ame;
And some have wept and WOO d, and plgh'ed troth,
And chose their priest ere cas-, off sloth
Many green gown has been given;
Many a ks e both odde and even:
Many glance, too has been sent
From ont the eye loves fnnamrnt;
Many jos, told of the keye'> beravn2
This nj ht. and locks pickt; yet " are not Mayins
Come let us zoe. while We are in our prime,
And take the harmless. foe Of the time
We shall grow old apace and die
| Before we know our liberty.
Our life is short and our dayes run
As fas, away as dos the sunne;
And as vapour, drop t raIne
| Once lost, can ne'r be found againe;
So when on you orr are made
fable song, or fleeing shade;
All love all liking, all delight
Lies drownd with us in endless night.
Then, while time serves and we are hat decaying,
Come, my Corrina, come, lets goe Maying.
Herrick.
A gatherer of notices, respecting our pa
times says, the after part of MAY-day
chiefly spent in dancing round tall Poi
which is called a May Poll which beir
placed in convenient part of the villag
H. stands there, as it were consecrated to Il
Goddess of Flowers, without the least vol
ton o0er'd to it, in the whole circle of Il
year. One who was an implacablc encn
to popular sports relates the fetching in
'the May from the woods. 'But, SAYS il
their chccfcst jewell they bring from then
is their Maize poole, whiche they bring hor
create veneraton, as thus. They ha
,wenlie or fourtie yoke of oxen, every O
having a sweete nosegale of flowers tyed
the tippe Of his hornes, and these OK