Cherry-Time

By Robert Graves

1895.7.24-1985.12.7

Cherries of the night are riper
         Than the cherries pluckt at noon
Gather to your fairy piper
         When he pipes his magic tune:
         Merry, merry,
         Take a cherry;
         Mine are sounder,
         Mine are rounder,
         Mine are sweeter
         For the eater
         Under the moon.
         And you'll be fairies soon.

In the cherry pluckt at night,
         With the dew of summer swelling,
There's a juice of pure delight,
         Cool, dark, sweet, divinely smelling.
         Merry, merry,
         Take a cherry;
         Mine are sounder,
Mine are rounder
         Mine are sweeter
         For the eater
         In the moonlight.
         And you'll be fairies quite.

When I sound the fairy call,
         Gather here in silent meeting,
Chin to knee on the orchard wall,
         Cooled with dew and cherries eating.
         Merry, merry,
         Take a cherry;
         Mine are sounder,
         Mine are rounder,
         Mine are sweeter.
         For the eater
         When the dews fall.
         And you'll be fairies all.

DayPoems Poem No. 2752
<a href="http://www.daypoems.net/poems/2752.html">Cherry-Time by Robert Graves</a>

The DayPoems Poetry Collection, www.daypoems.net
Timothy Bovee, editor

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