by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906)
Summer in the South
Language: English
The oriole sings in the greening grove
As if he were half-way waiting,
The rosebuds peep from their hoods of green,
Timid and hesitating.
The rain comes down in a torrent sweep
And the nights smell warm and piney,
The garden thrives, but the tender shoots
Are yellow-green and tiny.
Then a flash of sun on a waiting hill,
Streams laugh that erst were quiet,
The sky smiles down with a dazzling blue
And the woods run mad with riot.
Text Authorship:
- by Paul Laurence Dunbar (1872 - 1906) [author's text not yet checked against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Jeremiah Evans , "Summer in the South" [ voice and piano ], from Two Songs of the American South, no. 1, J. Evans Music Press
Publisher: Sheet Music Direct [external link]  [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this page: Joost van der Linden [Guest Editor]
This text was added to the website: 2026-10-24
Line count: 12
Word count: 80
