ODE TO SPRING
A. VENKATESWARA RAO
Season of vernal sun and verdure green
Sweet announcer of the new-born year
Well thou hast come to make the earth dear
To flora and fauna and love-lorn man.
Thou raiseth the veil that enwraps the world
With sheets of ice of alabaster white
Over the lawns and lakes and ravines bright
To bring new life in full jovial mood.
On a green carpet across a wooded vale
And in the twittering of birds on the dale
And on the verge of a murmuring brook
Thou sitteth still with a cheerful look.
All things wither and warp as winter comes
And stares everyone proudly in the face
When life begins to fly to warmer climes
To save itself from decay and disgrace.
But thy arrival at the proper time
Reviveth hopes of all for survival
Thy lustrous face is sign of coming bloom
With every chance of fruitfulness for all.
Thy advent makes a new era in life,
The feeble and the meek and downtrodden
Become young and active all of a sudden
In a new garb of sprightliness and relief.
Enraptured cuckoo sings to thy glory
From shaded groves in melodious tones
And honey-bees hum from their beehive homes
Crickets sing from hedgerows making merry.
As is the tree embedded in the seed
So are Summer and Autumn and Winter
Concealed in thyself, Oh Spring! for the good
Of the world, biding their time like an ardent
Would to God thou art made to rule
With thy graceful reign made enjoyable
When all living beings shall be immune
From heat or cold and live in fine sunshine.