As much as spring is more delightful than winter

As much as spring is more delightful than winter,
As much as the apple than the sloe,
As much as the sheep is more woolly than its lambkin,
As much as a virgin is better than a thrice-wed dame,
As much as a fawn is nimbler than a calf,
As much as a nightingale surpasses in song all feathered kind,
So much does thy longed-for presence cheer my mind;
To thee I hasten as the travellers to the shady beech,
When the fierce sun blazes.