Sara Teasdale’s “May Day” turns a city street in spring into a love poem. The speaker and a partner watch the traffic, the horses, the sunlight, and the people, and everything seems arranged for them. It is not that the world is literally theirs; their happiness is so strong that ordinary sights feel like gifts. The short back-and-forth of “I love you” in the middle gives the poem a playful, intimate voice. By the end, the scene intensifies: Fifth Avenue, April, love, and freedom blend together until the music of the moment becomes “too beautiful to bear.” The mood is joyful but also slightly overwhelmed—spring and love feel almost too much, as if the speaker can hardly hold all that gladness. It captures the way strong emotion can make the whole busy world feel personal and alive. The short, songlike lines add to that light, thrilled feeling.
May Day — Summary
The shining line of motors, The swaying motor-bus, The prancing dancing horses Are passing by for us.
The sunlight on the steeple, The toys we stop to see, The smiling passing people Are all for you and me.
"I love you and I love you!"-- "And oh, I love you, too!"-- "All of the flower girl's lilies Were only grown for you!"
Fifth Avenue and April And love and lack of care-- The world is mad with music Too beautiful to bear.