There is continual spring, and harvest there Continual, both meeting at one time: For both the boughs do laughing blossoms bear, And with fresh colours deck the wanton prime, And eke attonce the heavy trees they climb, Which seem to labour under their fruits load: The whiles the joyous birds make their pastime Amongst the shady leaves, their sweet above, And their true loves without suspicion tell abroad.
Interpretation
The quote describes the beauty and joy of nature in harmony, where spring and harvest coexist, symbolizing abundance and happiness.
Edmund Spenser's quote reflects a vivid portrayal of nature in all its glory, where the joyful aspects of spring, represented by blooming blossoms and singing birds, coincide with the fruitful abundance of harvest. This duality showcases the richness of life, emphasizing not just the beauty but also the labor and effort underlying nature's bounty. As the trees bear their fruits and birds express their love, the quote captures a moment of harmony and celebration in the natural world.
In practice
In a speech about environmental conservation, one might quote this to highlight the beauty of nature.
But O the exceeding grace_x000D_ Of highest God, that loves his creatures so,_x000D_ And all his works with mercy doth embrace,_x000D_ That blessed angels, he sends to and fro,_x000D_ To serve to wicked man, to serve his wicked foe.
The noblest mind the best contentment has
What though the sea with waves continuall Doe eate the earth, it is no more at all ; Ne is the earth the lesse, or loseth ought : For whatsoever from one place doth fall Is with the tyde unto another brought : For there is nothing lost, that may be found if sought.
No daintie flowre or herbe that growes on grownd, No arborett with painted blossoms drest And smelling sweete, but there it might be fownd To bud out faire, and throwe her sweete smels al arownd.
I hate the day, because it lendeth light_x000D_ _x000D_ To see all things, but not my love to see.
For of the soule the bodie forme doth take; _x000D_ For the soule is forme, and doth the bodie make.
In this sequestered nook how sweet To sit upon my orchard seat And birds and flowers once more to greet. . . .
When I was 7 and went to the zoo with my second-grade class, I saw chimpanzee eyes for the first time - the eyes of an unhappy animal, all alone, locked in a bare, concrete-floored, iron-barred cage in one of the nastier, old-fashioned zoos. I remember looking at the chimp, then looking away.
You must teach your children that the ground beneath their feet is the ashes of your grandfathers. So that they will respect the land, tell your children that the earth is rich with the lives of our kin. Teach your children what we have taught our children, that the earth is our mother. Whatever befalls the earth befalls the sons of the earth. If men spit upon the ground, they spit upon themselves.
In Holland and Belgium, and afterwards in England, my happiest moments were in the country. I've always had a passion for the outdoors, for trees, for birds and flowers.
Nature is wont to hide herself.
Next time a sunrise steals your breath or a meadow of flowers leave you speechless, remain that way. Say nothing, and listen as Heaven whispers, "Do you like it? I did it just for you."
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