This line read originally: "There is no price set," etc. The next by James Russell Lowell: Summary, Meaning & Analysis
This passage comes from a well-known part of James Russell Lowell's longer poem *The Vision of Sir Launfal*, where the narrator joyfully and almost breathlessly celebrates June in New England.
The poem
line began with "And." 32-95. This rapturous passage descriptive of June is unquestionably the most familiar and most celebrated piece of nature poetry in our literature. It is not only beautiful and inspiring in its felicitous phrasings of external nature, but it is especially significant as a true expression of the heart and soul of the poet himself. It was always "the high-tide of the year" with Lowell in June, when his spirits were in fine accord with the universal joy of nature. Wherever in his poetry he refers to spring and its associations, he always expresses the same ecstasy of delight. The passage must be compared with the opening lines of _Under the Willows_ (which he at first named _A June Idyll_): "June is the pearl of our New England year. Still a surprisal, though expected long, Her coming startles. Long she lies in wait, Makes many a feint, peeps forth, draws coyly back, Then, from some southern ambush in the sky, With one great gush of blossom storms the world," etc. And in _Sunthin' in the Pastoral Line_ the coming of spring is delightfully pictured: "Our Spring gets everything in tune An' gives one leap from April into June," etc. In a letter written in June, 1867, Lowell says: "There never _is_ such a season, and that shows what a poet God is. He says the same thing over to us so often and always new. Here I've been reading the same poem for near half a century, and never had a notion what the buttercup in the third stanza meant before." It is worth noting that Lowell's happy June corresponds to May in the English poets, as in Wordsworth's _Ode_: "With the heart of May Doth every beast keep holiday." In New England where "Northern natur" is "slow an' apt to doubt," "May is a pious fraud of the almanac." or as Hosea Biglow says: "Half our May is so awfully like May n't, 'T would rile a Shaker or an evrige saint."
This passage comes from a well-known part of James Russell Lowell's longer poem *The Vision of Sir Launfal*, where the narrator joyfully and almost breathlessly celebrates June in New England. Lowell views June as the pinnacle of the year—a time when nature is vibrant and generous, almost like a gift that no one deserves. It reads more like a love letter to a season, penned by a man who truly felt his happiest when summer rolled around.
Line-by-line
"June is the pearl of our New England year. / Still a surprisal, though expected long,"
"Her coming startles. Long she lies in wait, / Makes many a feint, peeps forth, draws coyly back,"
"Then, from some southern ambush in the sky, / With one great gush of blossom storms the world,"
"Our Spring gets everything in tune / An' gives one leap from April into June,"
"Half our May is so awfully like May n't, / 'T would rile a Shaker or an evrige saint."
Tone & mood
The tone is exuberant and festive, with a hint of humor beneath the surface. When Lowell speaks in his own voice, the language feels rich and nearly worshipful—June is a natural force that captivates the senses. In contrast, when he adopts the Yankee dialect of Hosea Biglow, the tone becomes dry and endearingly funny. Together, they paint a picture of a poet who cherishes his home landscape with both passion and a playful sense of humor.
Symbols & metaphors
- June — June represents the height of life—when everything feels vibrant, generous, and beautiful. For Lowell, it was truly his happiest time of the year, making this month a symbol of personal joy as much as a seasonal snapshot.
- The pearl — Calling June a pearl suggests both rarity and value, as well as the slow and hidden process of a pearl's creation before it's uncovered. This idea implies that June's arrival, though anticipated, consistently feels like uncovering something truly precious.
- The ambush — The military image of June launching an ambush from the south makes the season feel like a conquering force. It conveys the suddenness and completeness of the change—one day it's still cold, and then, just like that, summer has taken over.
- The buttercup — Lowell himself acknowledged in a letter from 1867 that he had read his own poem for almost fifty years before grasping the meaning of the buttercup in the third stanza. It symbolizes the endless richness of nature — how the same poem, when revisited, always uncovers something fresh.
Historical context
James Russell Lowell published *The Vision of Sir Launfal* in 1848, during a peak in his early creative powers. While the poem retells the Arthurian grail legend, its most memorable part is an extended lyric that joyfully celebrates June, breaking up the narrative and becoming one of the most quoted passages of nature poetry in nineteenth-century American literature. Lowell lived most of his life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the New England landscape had a profound influence on his imagination. He was also the first editor of *The Atlantic Monthly* and a Harvard professor, but readers cherished him most for this type of writing: personal, sensory, and tied to a specific place. The dialect poems featuring Hosea Biglow, his fictional Yankee farmer, provided him with a second voice—comic, down-to-earth, and equally fond of the same landscape.
FAQ
The main June celebration originates from *The Vision of Sir Launfal* (1848), a more extensive narrative poem by Lowell. This passage gained such popularity that it was frequently reprinted independently, giving it the impression of being a standalone poem. Lowell also discussed June in *Under the Willows* and in the dialect poem *Sunthin' in the Pastoral Line*, and this analysis references all three works.
Hosea Biglow is a fictional Yankee farmer created by Lowell as a humorous alter ego. Lowell used this character to craft dialect poetry—spelled to mimic a rural New England accent—that discussed politics, nature, and daily life. The Biglow Papers were very popular during Lowell's era and provided him with a means to express ideas in a straightforward, comedic tone that his more formal poetry couldn't achieve.
In New England, May appears to be spring on the calendar, but it frequently brings cold, grey, and unpredictable weather. Lowell claims the almanac guarantees spring in May, yet nature fails to comply — making May feel like a fraud, and a "pious" one at that, since everyone politely pretends otherwise. It's a classic New England joke.
In a letter from 1867, Lowell confessed that after almost fifty years of reading his own poem, he finally grasped the essence of the buttercup. He uses this realization to illustrate a broader idea about nature: God writes the same poem each year, yet it always reveals something new. The buttercup symbolizes nature's endless significance — you can gaze at the same flower your entire life and still discover something new within it.
In England, May is the height of spring—warm, vibrant, and full of celebrations. English poets such as Wordsworth captured the essence of May much like Lowell does with June. Lowell highlights how New England's climate lags about a month behind England's, making his June the emotional and seasonal counterpart to an English May. This serves as a subtle yet significant reminder that American nature poetry must navigate its own unique context.
Yes, absolutely. Critics hailed the June passage from *The Vision of Sir Launfal* as one of the most beloved and well-known examples of nature poetry in American literature back then. Schoolchildren memorized it, it was frequently quoted in essays, and it saw constant reprints throughout the nineteenth century. While Lowell may not be as widely read today, this passage remains a true gem of nature writing.
A high tide is when the sea is at its fullest and most powerful before it starts to recede. Lowell uses this image to convey that June represents the peak of the year — the time when everything is most vibrant, generous, and beautiful. Once June passes, summer begins its shift towards autumn, which reflects both the splendor and the transitory nature of the season.
The mood stays joyful and celebratory throughout, but the tone shifts intentionally. When Lowell uses his formal voice, the language becomes rich and lyrical — he captures the full beauty of the experience. In contrast, when he adopts Hosea Biglow's dialect, the tone turns comic and grounded. This change allows Lowell to express that love for the New England landscape is universal — both the Harvard professor and the Yankee farmer feel the same emotions, even if they articulate them differently.