A Complex Song of Summer

Pure Nature

            The “Song of Summer” is another poem by an anonymous author, who has created a beautifully written piece describing the beauty of nature during the summer months. This poem reminds its readers that there is more to summer then sleeping in, instead the author appreciates the creatures that thrive in the warmth brought by summer and the great purity behind it all, which is usually ignored, especially in the modern world. Through the author’s imagery and symbolism throughout the “Song of Summer,” the author invites their audience to fully embrace the essence of summer and appreciate its nature while it lasts, because summer will eventually end with the closing of the song.

            The author strongly connects nature and summer through the presence of birds. The various birds mentioned throughout the poem are important because they create the song and through this melody, summer is essentially alive and under the “possession” of this “age-old song” (“Song of Summer” 322). The author continues the poem with each bird contributing to the song with their own melody, while describing how each “complex harmony” effects the “woodlands” in the summertime (“Song of Summer 322). Ultimately, what really ties this poem together is the last few lines, which illustrates the author’s main message about nature. The author ends the lyric with the bee, which is a symbol for “chastity” and for the first time, the author correlates religion to nature by comparing nature to the purity of the one “who bore Christ” (“Song of Summer” 323). The author’s message is: like the mother of Christ, the nature of summer is pure and untouchable, and it is the people’s responsibility to appreciate and take care of it.

            I personally enjoyed this lyric because the writing and imagery was beautiful, which made it a nice read. What I liked the most about the author’s syntax was how the ultimate message of the poem was presented at the very end. The last few lines on the poem took me by surprise because it takes a completely different direction from the pretty lines presented throughout the lyric, because this is the first time the author even mentions religion. After reading the end, my viewpoint of the poem changed and made me realize that there is much more to the “Song of Summer” than beautiful imagery.