When May paints azure all above / Gertrude Hall

VI. When May paints azure all above 

When May paints azure all above,
And emerald all underfoot,
And charms to flower the withered root,
And warms to passion the staid dove,
Sing, bard! of hope, of joy, of love!

But when December saddens o'er
The land whence birds and leaves are gone,
When black nights come, and grey days dawn,
Sing, bard! sing louder than before,
Of joy, hope, love! louder and more!

~~
Gertrude Hall (1863-1961)
from The Age of Fairygold, 1899

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

Gertrude Hall biography