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Summer sunshine has always been a source of inspiration for poets. Its warmth, radiance, and life-giving energy evoke feelings of joy, renewal, and love. In this blog, we explore a collection of classic, copyright-free poems. These celebrate the beauty of summer sunshine and the profound love for the sun. These timeless verses, written by renowned poets, capture the essence of the sun’s golden rays and their impact on our lives.

Think of the sun as a master artist, painting the world with its golden brushstrokes. It fills our lives with warmth and light. (Photo cover by Diana Parkhouse on Unsplash)

The Radiance of Summer Sunshine

1. “Summer Sun” by Robert Louis Stevenson

Great is the sun, and wide he goes
Through empty heaven without repose;
And in the blue and glowing days
More thick than rain he showers his rays.

Though closer still the blinds we pull
To keep the shady parlour cool,
Yet he will find a chink or two
To slip his golden fingers through.

The dusty attic spider-clad,
He, through the keyhole, maketh glad;
And through the broken edge of tiles,
Into the laddered hay-loft smiles.

Meantime his golden face around
He bares to all the garden ground,
And sheds a warm and glittering look
Among the ivy's inmost nook.

Above the hills, along the blue,
Round the bright air with footing true,
To please the child, to paint the rose,
The gardener of the World, he goes.

Stevenson’s poem beautifully captures the omnipresence and generosity of the summer sun, showering its rays more abundantly than rain.

2. “A Day in June” by James Russell Lowell

And what is so rare as a day in June?
Then, if ever, come perfect days;
Then Heaven tries earth if it be in tune,
And over it softly her warm ear lays;
Whether we look, or whether we listen,
We hear life murmur, or see it glisten;
Every clod feels a stir of might,
An instinct within it that reaches and towers,
And, groping blindly above it for light,
Climbs to a soul in grass and flowers;
The flush of life may well be seen
Thrilling back over hills and valleys;
The cowslip startles in meadows green,
The buttercup catches the sun in its chalice,
And there's never a leaf nor a blade too mean

Full poem: https://allpoetry.com/poem/14329780-What-Is-So-Rare-As-A-Day-In-June-by-James-Russell-Lowell

Lowell’s verse celebrates the perfection of a summer day in June, where the warmth of the sun creates an idyllic harmony between heaven and earth.

3. “The Sun Rising” by John Donne – Poems about Summer Sunshine

Busy old fool, unruly Sun,
Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school-boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court-huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices;
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Thy beams so reverend, and strong
Why shouldst thou think?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long.
If her eyes have not blinded thine,
Look, and to-morrow late tell me,
Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou left'st them, or lie here with me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear, "All here in one bed lay."

She's all states, and all princes I;
Nothing else is;
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honour's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, Sun, art half as happy as we,
In that the world's contracted thus;
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy center is, these walls thy sphere.

In this playful poem, Donne addresses the sun directly, highlighting its intrusive yet essential role in the lives of lovers.

4. “Summer” by Christina Rossetti

Winter is cold-hearted,

Spring is yea and nay,

Autumn is a weathercock

Blown every way.

Summer days for me

When every leaf is on its tree;

 

When Robin's not a beggar,

And Jenny Wren's a bride,

And larks hang singing, singing, singing,

Over the wheat-fields wide,

And anchored lilies ride,

And the pendulum spider

Swings from side to side;

 

And blue-black beetles transact business,

And gnats fly in a host,

And furry caterpillars hasten

That no time be lost,

And moths grow fat and thrive,

And ladybirds arrive.

 

Before green apples blush,

Before green nuts embrown,

Why one day in the country

Is worth a month in town;

Is worth a day and a year

Of the dusty, musty, lag-last fashion

That days drone elsewhere.

Rossetti’s poem contrasts the fickleness of other seasons with the constancy and fullness of summer, where every leaf is in its place.

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Poems About Summer Sunshine

The poems celebrating summer sunshine and the love of the sun remind us of the beauty and joy that the sun brings into our lives. Through vivid imagery and heartfelt verses, these classic poems capture the essence of the sun’s warmth. They highlight its profound impact on our emotions. As we bask in the golden glow of summer, let these poems inspire us to appreciate the simple yet powerful presence of the sun.

We hope you find this blog post engaging and insightful! If you have any specific preferences or additional details you’d like to include, feel free to let us know at martinez@mindonfirebooks.com

Thank you for visiting with us. For more Reviews or Literature related content, visit our blog at The Ritual.

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