The Day Of Sunshine (From Arne)

It was such a lovely sunshine-day,      The house and the yard couldn't hold me;     I roved to the woods, on my back I lay,      In cradle of fancy rolled me;     But there were ants, and gnats that bite,     The horse-fly was keen, the wasp showed fight.      "Dear me, don't you want to be out in this fine weather?" - said mother, who sat on the steps and sang.     It was such a lovely sunshine-day,      The house and the yard couldn't hold me;     A meadow I found, on my back I lay,      And sang what my spirit told me;     Then snakes came crawling, a fathom long,     To bask in the sun, - I fled with my song.      "In such blessed weather we can go barefoot," - said mother, as she pulled off her stockings.     It was such a lovely sunshine-day,      The house and the yard couldn't hold me;     I loosened a boat, on my back I lay,      While blithely the current bowled me;     But hot grew the sun, and peeled my nose;     Enough was enough, and to land I chose.      "Now these are just the days to make hay in," - said mother, as she stuck the rake in it.     It was such a lovely sunshine-day,      The house and the yard couldn't hold me;     I climbed up a tree, oh, what bliss to play,      As cooling the breeze consoled me;     But worms soon fell on my neck, by chance,     And jumping, I cried: "'T is the Devil's own dance!"      "Yes, if the cows aren't sleek and shiny to-day, they'll never be so," - said mother, gazing up the hillside.     It was such a lovely sunshine-day,      The house and the yard couldn't hold me;     I dashed to the waterfall's endless play,      There only could peace enfold me.     The shining sun saw me drown and die, -     If you made this ditty, 't was surely not I.      "Three more such sunshine-days, and everything will be in," - said mother, and went to make my bed.