The Day Of Sunshine (From Arne)

It was such a lovely sunshine-day,

The house and the yard couldn't hold me;

I roved to the woods, on my back I lay,

In cradle of fancy rolled me;

But there were ants, and gnats that bite,

The horse-fly was keen, the wasp showed fight.

"Dear me, don't you want to be out in this fine weather?" - said mother, who sat on the steps and sang.

It was such a lovely sunshine-day,

The house and the yard couldn't hold me;

A meadow I found, on my back I lay,

And sang what my spirit told me;

Then snakes came crawling, a fathom long,

To bask in the sun, - I fled with my song.

"In such blessed weather we can go barefoot," - said mother, as she pulled off her stockings.

It was such a lovely sunshine-day,

The house and the yard couldn't hold me;

I loosened a boat, on my back I lay,

While blithely the current bowled me;

But hot grew the sun, and peeled my nose;

Enough was enough, and to land I chose.

"Now these are just the days to make hay in," - said mother, as she stuck the rake in it.

It was such a lovely sunshine-day,

The house and the yard couldn't hold me;

I climbed up a tree, oh, what bliss to play,

As cooling the breeze consoled me;

But worms soon fell on my neck, by chance,

And jumping, I cried: "'T is the Devil's own dance!"

"Yes, if the cows aren't sleek and shiny to-day, they'll never be so," - said mother, gazing up the hillside.

It was such a lovely sunshine-day,

The house and the yard couldn't hold me;

I dashed to the waterfall's endless play,

There only could peace enfold me.

The shining sun saw me drown and die, -

If you made this ditty, 't was surely not I.

"Three more such sunshine-days, and everything will be in," - said mother, and went to make my bed.