The First of May

The First of May

Stands as spring’s finest hour

Where morning unfolds in the veil of gentleness

And the pulse of the streets grows into optimistic cadence

Greetings, my lively native land

Today you are adorned in holiday’s brightest hues

Peace

Is the first greeting to a neighbor on the way to work

Is the glow of distant windows at the descent of evening

Is the smile of children under a sky vast as the marble sea

Profoundly calm, luminously serene

Such is the brightest atmosphere of our beloved First of May

Labor

Is the unrelenting rumble of machines in the industrial expanse

Is the sheen of our youth’s toil on the great constructions upon the earth

Is the millions who transformed barren deserts into towns where peonies bloom

Persistently conscientious, spiritually fulfilling

Such is the highest meaning of our beloved First of May

May

Is the cheerful tune of sparrows on flowering blossom branches

Is the tender breeze that accompanies the parade’s beginning

Is the ordered sea of flags and banners along the stretching avenues of the city

Joyfully anticipated, warmly radiant

Such is the the most unifying happiness of our beloved First of May

We exalt you, our beloved First of May

And may the brilliant sun of spring

Shine its unbroken light to every corner of the world!