I

O happy hearts, O youths and damsels, pray What new and wondrous thing hath chanced to-day, O happy hearts, what wondrous thing and new? Set the gold sun with kinglier-mightful glance, Rose the maid-moon with queenlier countenance, Came the stars forth a merrier madder crew, Than ever sun or maiden-moon before, Or jostling stars that shook the darkness' floor With night-wide tremor 'neath their dizzy dance?

Strong is the Sun, but strong alway was he; The Moon is fair, but ever fair showed she; The Stars are many, and who hath known them few? As now they be, so heretofore were they: What is the wondrous thing hath chanced to-day, O happy hearts, the wondrous thing and new, Whereof ye are glad together even more Than of the sunlight or the moonlight or The light o' the stars that strow the milky-way?

For all your many maidens have the head In goodly festal wise engarlanded, With flowers at noon the banquet of the bees, And leaves that in some grove at midday grew: And ever since the falling of the dew Your streets are full of pomps and pageantries, Laughter and song, feasting and dancing:--nay, Surely some wondrous thing hath chanced to-day; O happy hearts, what wondrous thing and new?