Welcome, morning of joy, glad feast that all ages shall hallow.
Day when to earth out of heaven flashed a new glory of grace.

Flinging his torrents of fire, the sun rides high in the heaven;
Forth from the ocean he comes, sinks to the ocean at eve.

Darting his rays as he goes through the liquid air of the summer,
Now doth he shorten the nights, draw out the length of the days.

Blue is the sky by day, with crystalline radiance glowing;
Night is a glory of stars, singing together for joy.

Now doth the country rejoice in all the gay store of its bounty;
Summer returns to the earth bearing her wealth in her hand.

Flowers bespangle the field with riot and glitter of colour;
White are the hedgerows with may, green grows the grass in the meads.

One by one open their buds the blossoms of tulip and lily;
Shyly smile from the grass daises with myriad eyes.


Venantius Fortunatus
tr. C. S. Phillips