It is not Always May
Swallows, a bluebird, new leaves and an empty nest from last year mark the arrival of spring. The speaker urges a maiden reading the rhyme to enjoy youth and love while they last, warning that it is not always May.
By Henry Wadsworth Longfellow · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry, Didactic Poetry · 267 words
First lines
No hay pajaros en los nidos de antano. / Spanish Proverb
The sun is bright, -- the air is clear, / The darting swallows soar and sing. / And from the stately elms I hear / The bluebird prophesying Spring.
So blue you winding river flows, / It seems an outlet from the sky, / Where waiting till the west-wind blows, / The freighted clouds at anchor lie.
All things are new; -- the buds, the leaves, / That gild the elm-tree's nodding crest, / And even the nest beneath the eaves; -- / There are no birds in last year's nest!
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — Rhymed quatrains move from spring scenery to a direct address urging a maiden to enjoy youth and love.
- Nature Poetry — Swallows, a bluebird, budding elms, clouds and a river establish the spring setting.
- Didactic Poetry — The repeated commands to enjoy youth culminate in a warning about time, reinforced by last year’s empty nest.
Tags
spring · youth · love · birds · passing time
What this Textopian page supports
It is not Always May is listed on Textopian as a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, dated Date unknown.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Date: Date unknown
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry, Didactic Poetry
- Length: 267 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for It is not Always May by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph