O welcome bat and owlet gray,
Thus winging low your airy way;
And welcome moth and drowsy fly,
That to mine ear come humming by.
And welcome shadows long and deep,
And stars that from the pale sky peep!
O welcome all! to me ye say,
My woodland Love is on her way.

Upon the soft wind floats her hair;
Her breath is in the dewy air;
Her steps are in the whisper'd sound,
That steals along the stilly ground.
O dawn of day in rosy bower,
What art thou to this witching hour!
O noon of day in sun-shine bright,
What art thou to the fall of night!