Nicholas Breton:
(also Britton or Brittaine)
(c. 1545/53 – c. 1625/6).
English poet and prose writer of the English Renaissance.
It is now May. It is the month wherein nature hath her fill of mirth and the senses are filled with delights. I conclude it is from the Heavens, a grace, and to Earth, a gladness.
🌿 exuberant nature, 😊 joy and zest for life, 👃👀 sensory delight: scents, colors, blossoms, and spring air, ✨ almost heavenly beauty. The essence of the statement is that May is so rich in life and delight that the month is presented as: a ‘grace from heaven’ and a ‘joy for the earth’. In short: Breton means that ‘May feels like a divine gift’: nature comes alive, people enjoy themselves, and everything breathes cheerfulness. Origin: The quote comes from “Fantasticks” (also spelled “Fantastickes”), a work by Nicholas Breton containing short, literary descriptions of the months and seasons. In the section on ‘May’, Breton portrays the month as a period full of spring delights, with attention to, among other things: 🌸 blossoms and growth, 🌤️ mild air and pleasant weather, 🦌 animals in field and wood, 🎶 birdsong and morning life. The often-cited English form reads in a shortened version: “It is now May… It is the month wherein Nature hath her fill of mirth, and the senses are filled with delights. I conclude, it is from the Heavens a grace, and to Earth a gladness.” Author: Nicholas Breton (c. 1545–1626), an English poet and prose writer. About him: 🇬🇧 English author, 📚 active in the ‘late Elizabethan’ and ‘early 17th-century’ periods, ✍️ known for: pastoral and contemplative texts, elegant prose, moral and seasonal sketches. His style fits this quote well: poetic, sublime, nature-oriented, slightly religious in tone. 📝 Short formula: For Breton, May is a ‘heavenly grace’ and a ‘joy for the earth’.
