At last, school is out, summer begins, and love is in the air. June marks the midpoint of the year and is the most popular month that couples plan to enjoy the summer, including tying the knot.
Culturally, the tradition of June brides dates back to ancient Rome, where the month was dedicated to Juno, the goddess of marriage. It was believed that couples who married in June would be blessed with happiness and prosperity. Thus, summertime and love became two primary themes for poets around the world.
In her short life of only 48 years, poet Sophie Jewett (1861 – 1909) traveled the world with her mother and sisters. She taught English literature at Wellesley College and published her first collection of poems in 1896. Her final collection was published a year following her death. She was an important lyric poet who combined formal precision with a keen observation of nature and an exploration of themes of spirituality and solitude.
In this poem Jewett vividly captures the beauty and depth of feeling fully alive during a summer of being lost in love. Her poems are in the public domain.
A Song in Summer
by Sophie Jewett
If I were but the west wind,
I would follow you;
Cross a hundred hills to find
Your world of green and blue;
In your pine wood linger,
Whisper to you there
Stories old and strange, and finger
Softly your bright hair.