Birds of Spring

Trooping o'er the meadows,
Chatter, chatter, chatter!
Greeting pussy willows,
Twitter, twitter, twitter!
Pluming each light wing,
Sipping at the spring,
Flitting here and there,
Sweet birds everywhere!

First awake at morning,
Chirping, chirping, chirping!
First to greet the day-king,
Trilling, trilling, trilling!
Then a happy fly
Far up in the sky,
Coming back to rest
And to take breakfast.

Choosing glossy mate,
Flatter, flatter, flatter!
In doubt which one to take,
Flutter, flutter, flutter!
Difficult task to do,
To find a mate that's true,
Perfect in every thing,
From bill to tip of wing.

Fixing up the old nests,
Busy, busy, busty!
Bringing sticks for new rests,
Hurry, hurry, hurry!
Bits of moss and thread
Make a downy bed
To roll the eggs about
While they're hatching out.

Watching the butterfly,
Slily, slily, slily!
Trying like birds to fly,
Silly, silly, silly!
As if a worm could vie
With birds that always fly,
Although their wings so quaint
With gaudy colors paint.

Singing to daisies white
Sweetly, sweetly, sweetly!
And to buttercups bright,
Gayly, gayly, gayly!
To snowdrops emerald set,
Crocus and violet,
Cheerily, cheerily sing,
Birds of the early spring.

by Watie W. Swanzy