Maiden of the May

This Maiden of the Maytime was inspired by the joyful Mayfair that happens close to where I live. There I watched my daughters make flower crowns and join in the Maypole dancing, and also pick  little gifts from the skirts of the pocket lady. This Fairy Queen of May offers her skirt pockets to nestle fairyland's young ones as they blossom into their dance of rainbows. 

I have gathered a few poems to weave amongst the pictures, and as inspiration and resource for Maytime celebrations.

In May I go a-walking to hear the linnet sing,

The blackbird and the throstle, a-praising everything,

It cheers the heart to hear them, to see the leaves unfold,

And the meadows scattered over with buttercups of gold.

- a song my mother sang to me and I to my children

The fair maid who, the first of May 

Goes to the fields at break of day

And washes in dew from the hawthorn tree

Will ever after handsome be.

- Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme

"What is now the foliage moving? 

Air is still, and hush'd the breeze,

Sultriness, this fullness loving, 

Through the thicket, from the trees.

Now the eye at once gleams brightly, 

See! the infant band with mirth

Moves and dances nimbly, lightly,

As the morning gave it birth, 

Flutt'ring two and two o'er earth."

- Wolfgang Goethe, May 815

But I must gather knots of flowers,

And buds and garlands gay,

For I'm to be Queen o' the May, mother,

I'm to be Queen o' the May.

-  Alfred Lord Tennyson, from The May Queen, 

Oh! that we two were Maying 

Down the stream of the soft spring breeze;

Like children with violets playing,

In the shade of the whispering trees.

- Charles Kingsley

Fast fading violets cover'd up in leaves; 

And mid-May's eldest child,

The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,

The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.

- John Keats

"Winter is many months of the year
But now at last Maytime is here;
And birds sing from a leafy screen
In the trees and hedgerow freshly green;
And the wood-anemone is out in the shade,
With its blushing petals which too soon fade;
Once more the bracken is unfurling there,
And bluebells gently perfume the damp air."
-  Veronica Ann Twells, Maytime

MAY! queen of blossoms, 

And fulfilling flowers, 

With what pretty music 

Shall we charm the hours? 

Wilt thou have pipe and reed, 5 

Blown in the open mead? 

Or to the lute give heed 

In the green bowers? 

Thou hast no need of us, 

Or pipe or wire; 10 

Thou hast the golden bee 

Ripen'd with fire; 

And many thousand more 

Songsters, that thee adore, 

Filling earth's grassy floor 15 

With new desire. 

Thou hast thy mighty herds, 

Tame and free-livers; 

Doubt not, thy music too 

In the deep rivers; 20 

And the whole plumy flight 

Warbling the day and night— 

Up at the gates of light, 

See, the lark quivers!

- Edward Thurlow, May

- Here’s a branch of snowy may,

A branch the fairies gave me.

Who would like to dance today

With the branch the fairies gave me?

Dance away, dance away.

Holding high the branch of may.

Dance away, dance away.

Holding high the branch of may

-from Waldorf school Maypole celebrations

Red, yellow, green and blue

Dancing ribbons weave with you.

Round the maypole, dance and skip

Under, over, lift and dip.

Flowers, garlands, May Day clothes

Coloured ribbons, dainty bows.

Yellow, red, blue and green

The brightest maypole you have seen!

 - Brenda Williams Colourful Maypole

Tiptoe around the fairy ring

Posies and bluebells, scattering

Songs of the wee folk we will sing

Laughter and dancing, what we bring.

Cross tightrope web with arms flung wide

Mice and butterflies, seek and hide

Windflowers standing tall with pride

Buttercups nestled by their side.

Whispering trees play flute in breeze

Courtly toads bow from bended knees

Dragonflies waltz with practiced ease

Through open doors that need not keys.

All the kinfolk gather now

To share in evergreen’s cacao

And join in solstice chanting sough

To sip sweet nectar, cupped in bough

Voices raised in tender descant

The tallest stag to smallest ant

To praise for blessing’s dear regrant

For ev’ry being, life and plant

Daffodil chariots parade

With rainbow maypoles in the glade

Fairy children in clear ponds wade

Entranced with kingdom, fairy-made

- J.C. Edwards, Fairy Children