Winds of May / James Joyce

IX

Winds of May, that dance on the sea,
Dancing a ring-around in glee
From furrow to furrow, while overhead
The foam flies up to be garlanded,
In silvery arches spanning the air,
Saw you my true love anywhere?
      Welladay! Welladay!
      For the winds of May!
Love is unhappy when love is away!

---
James Joyce (1882-1941)
from Chamber Music, 1907

[Poem is in the public domain in Canada, the United States, and the European Union]

James Joyce biography