The blithe breezes croon through forests of June,
    And the swallows skim on through the sky;
Then the goldfinch comes and the wild bee hums,
    While the martins go sailing on high.
The indigo bird in the hedge is heard
    As he seeks for his sweetheart and sings,
And the tanagers flush and the redbirds blush
    Like a flurry of tulips with wings.

The cotton field heaves with its glossy green leaves,
    With its blossoms of crimson and cream,
While the corn's sharp spears with their juicy ears
    And their tassels of silk are astream.
The cantaloupe swells, and the cantaloupe smells
    Like a gold-carven casket of musk;
On the watermelon vine is a flagon of wine
    In the rosy-red heart of the husk.

The blackberries lush hang ripe on the bush
    Like a gypsy girl's ebon hued eyes,
While the strawberry bed is sprinkled with red
    For the barefooted truant's surprise.
The apricot glows like a yellow rose,
    And the apple a globule of gold,
While the damson's dark blue and the cherry's red hue
    Stain the beak of the woodpecker bold.

With pansies a-glow, peonies a-blow,
    Cometh June in her maidenhood sweet,
And I see her glide where the crape myrtles bide
    With the petals as pink as her feet.
The magnolia bloom, like an ostrich plume,
    Is a-waving to welcome the queen,
And the iris rears through its serried spears
    Like a banner through bayonets keen.