Robert Herrick’s little lyric is a cheerful procession of personified months, each one outdoing the last in beauty and generosity. The speaker watches April arrive first, her mild rain coaxing out the earliest blooms. That sense of freshness then intensifies as May steps in, dressed more richly and smiling. June follows, offering “gems”—probably jewel-like flowers—that surpass what the first two months brought. Finally, July caps the sequence with even greater “wealth.” The poem builds a mood of delighted anticipation; the speaker clearly feels a deep fondness for this time of year, as if each month is a cherished guest bearing increasingly lavish gifts. There’s no reflection or hidden complexity, just pure, accumulating pleasure in nature’s seasonal unfolding. The straightforward repetition of “more” and “all those three” makes you feel the joy mounting, leaving you with a warm, satisfied sense of nature’s endless capacity to surprise and enrich.
THE SUCCESSION OF THE FOUR SWEET MONTHS — Summary
First, April, she with mellow showers Opens the way for early flowers; Then after her comes smiling May, In a more rich and sweet array; Next enters June, and brings us more Gems than those two that went before; Then, lastly, July comes, and she More wealth brings in than all those three.