Dirva = Field. [volume] (Cleveland, Ohio) 1915-current, 1950-09-28
Verte Nadas Rastenis
Kristijonas Donelaitis
TIE SEASONS
Joys Of Spring

The climbing sun again wakenng the world
And laughing at the wreck of frigd winters trade
For the cold seasons grip thoroughly undone,
And heaps Of piled had dwinded down to naught
Each day soft south breeze caressed the barren fields
And coaxed each blade and leaf rise again and live
Since evry hill and dale had cast away white furs,
bush heath glad to heed the sprngtmes call
All things that died away in fearful autumn's mre,
All things that lay in sleep beneath the winters ice,
Or hudded shiverng under a stunted bush
Crept out in joyous throng to hail the smiling spring
The rats and skunks holes and hooks
Crows ravens, magpies OWLS appeared upon bough
Mice modwaps and their young acclaimed the glowing warmth
Bugs flies mosquitoes gnats wasps bumblebees and fleas
In growing swarms rallying each day,
To bite the idle rich to sting the toilng poor
The queen bee called forth her subjects to the task
Commanding them to start again upon their work
Soon endless of them began to buzz and zoon,
Afifing merry tune and flying far and wide
Hid in the dark lean spiders spun their yarn
Or scaling dusty walls stretched long entrapping nets
And cen the wolves and BEARS green forests edge
Hunted in joyous mood for satiating game
It was wondrous thing that of the endless flock
None of the warbers wept when reaching dear shore
No; not to weep, but to rejoice they all came here.
For the winters chls and frosts were at end,
And the enchanting spring wrought wonders evrywhere
Ah now in evry place new life was all athrob
The air filled with tunes of songsters the wing.
Some sang in lower key scared to heights of tone
Some flew far, far above, to the silv'ry clouds:
Some low bough perched and all of them praised God.
AS yet the food but of them complained
Some had returned and shabby feathered garb,
Some carried back manned or broken wing crest,
And in the fields they found starvation sustenance
But not one of them grieved bitter tears shed
They all sang evrywhere their merry melodies.
Along with them the stork came to fair land
And, husbandy, atop the roof displayed his voice.
While he gazed and rejoiced his sweet and loving wife
Appeared upon the sill in gay and joyful mood
And met her gentle spouse with glad and cleaning beak
They found the old hatched roof much damaged and espoed
And their abode, built but year ago,
Was weather-beaten bent and sagging each side
Cohesive walls, strong beams and sturdy parapets,
Were torn and blown away by the relentless gales.
Doors wrecked stills fallen off, and evry window gone:
The northern wrath had wrought it's havoc their home
And so they both at once, good homemakers should
Fell attentivey to restoring their abode
The husband fetched great loads of branches rods wgs
With which his wife patched their home to suit her TASTE
And when their long and hard repairing work done
The two of them flew off to green marsh nearby;
Then having caught gged fater frogs and toad
Together gratefully they gave their thanks to God!
You, too, O futile man, be thankful and content
Since you far better fare fail thank your God!