God be with you, faithful messengers

God be with you, faithful messengers

of Spring, swallows,

hoopoes, cuckoos, little nightingales,

turtledoves and wild birds

who make the greenwood

lively with a hundred sorts of warbles.

God be with you, lovely daisies,

beautiful roses, pretty little flowers,

and you buds, once known

as the blood of Ajax and Narcissus.

And you thyme, anise, wild cherry.

Welcome back.

God be with you, multi-coloured troop

of butterflies sucking

the sweet grasses of the field,

and you, new swarm of bees

kissing the yellow

and red flowers.

A hundred thousand times I salute

your sweet return.

Oh, how I love this season

and the sweet cackling on the banks

after the winds and storms

that have kept me shut in the house!