38 THE SWALLOW

Fly away, fly away, over the sea,

Sun-loving swallow, for summer is done;

Come again, come again, come back to me,

Bringing the summer and bringing the sun.

When you come hurrying home o'er the sea,

Then we are certain that winter is past;

Cloudy and cold though your pathway may be,

Summer and sunshine will follow you fast.

Fly away, fly away, over the sea,

Sun-loving swallow, for summer is done;

Come again, come again, come back to me,

Bringing the summer and bringing the sun.

(Christina G. Rossetti)

Word list

swallow: a small kind of bird

o'er: over

You Practice

Answer the following questions.

1) In the poem, where do you think the swallow is going?

2) When will the swallow come back?

3) Do you think the writer is looking forward to seeing the swallow again? Why or why not?

4) What other birds do you know that go to different places in different seasons?

5) What is your favourite kind of bird? Why?