Introduction
The
poem is set in preindustrial and early industrial England and relates to the
May Day practice whereby young maids in the villages went out in the morning to
gather flowers for their mothers to use as decorations for the festival home.
The poem draws on some writings by contemporary
puritanical opponents of the practice.
A-Maying
Young ladies
to, celebrate The May,
Out early morn, finding a bouquet.
Their
families' homes. to soon adorn,
Gathering May
baskets, in the corn.
Young wenches
with, young lads doth play,
And laugh and
court, in meadows stray.
On a warm and
sunny, spring day such deeds,
May simply be
guessed, among the meads.
In every
bush, a song be’est made,
The
landscapes beauty, is now laid.
In some
secrete place, within the field,
Young men and
maidens, willingly yield.
Oft ten
maiden, who went to the May,
Nine returned
home, with infant that day.
Its best be
said: ‘courtship bed and wed’,
Else ‘grass
widows’ women, be thee instead.
In every
marriage, it be’est said,
In Avalon’s
fields, bed precedes wed.
Love poems,
to mistresses be writ,
Before
to wenches, they doth commit.
Copyright Andrew Rea 2008
No comments:
Post a Comment