Do you ask what the birds say?
The sparrow, the dove, The linnet, and thrush say,"I love and I love! "
In the winter they"re silent, The wind is so strong; What it says I don"t know;But it sings a loud song.
But green leaves and blossoms, And sunny, warm weather,And singing and loving All come back together.
Then the lark is so brimful Of gladness and love-The green fields below him, The blue sky above-That he sings and he sings And forever sings he,"I love my love,
And my love loves me. "
-Samuel Taylor ColeridGe
About the Author.-Samuel Taylor ColeridGe (1772-1834), son of a Devonshire clergyman and schoolmaster, was a poet who lived in the Lake country in England. Among his friends were Robert Southey, William Wordsworth, and Charles Lamb. His best-known poem is the "Ancient Mariner".
About the Poem.-What is the word that is repeated in every verse but the second? What birds are mentioned? What verse describes winter? What other pictures are there? When you say the poem, speak lightly and happily, just like a bird"s song. Make a list of all the songs and poems about birds that you know.