Ode on the Spring is a poem written by Thomas Gray.
Summary
The season of spring has arrived. It is the season when the buds open into flowers, and the year wakes up from its sleep. The nightingale and the cuckoo sing songs which represent the music and harmony of this season. These birds sing spontaneously, and their songs come naturally from them and not as a result of any tutoring. The sky becomes free from the clouds which cover it during winter and looks blue. Cool winds and breezes blow, scattering the sweet smell of the flowers.
Trees like the oak and the beech grow here and there, casting shadows on the ground with their thick branches which serve as a kind of covering over the open spaces. The poet imagines himself as sitting in the company of the Muse and meditating upon the futility of the noise and the tumult which the city crowds give rise to in the pursuit of their activities. The poet and the Muse also meditate upon the littleness and the insignificance of the persons who, living in the cities, feel very proud of their wealth and status.
The shepherd is resting from his labours. The sheep are also at rest. The insects, which are in the prime of their short existence, fly about, eager to taste the sweetness of the flowers. Some of these insects hover over the surface of a brook or a river, and some cast hasty glances at the sun above, also displaying their neat appearance.
A serious-minded and contemplative person, looking at the scene around him, would compare the life of a human being to the brief existence of the insects, Whether these insects fly through the air or whether they creep or crawl on the earth below, they would meet the same tale Whether these insects look busy or whether they seem to be carefree as her flutter their wings in the air, they have only a short life to live. Some of them would get killed by accident, while others would die a natural death after having lived to maturity and old age. Eventually, all of them would mingle with the dust below.
The poet imagines that the insects, having heard his remarks about them, give him a reply. They remind the poet of his own wretched plight. They tell him that he himself is no more important than a lonely fly. They also say that the poet does not have any woman to give him company and to serve as a source of pleasure to him. He has no valuable possessions to display. What is more, he is no longer a young man, and the spring of his life has already ended while they are enjoying the pleasure that spring and the month of May bring with them.