John Clare Poems

Say, wilt thou go with me, sweet maid,
Say, maiden, wilt thou go with me
Through the valley-depths of shade,
Of bright and dark obscurity;
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I

In politics and politicians' lies
The modern farmer waxes wondrous wise;
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He waits all day beside his little flock
And asks the passing stranger what's o'clock,
But those who often pass his daily tasks
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When shall I see the white-thorn leaves agen,
And yellowhammers gathering the dry bents
By the dyke side, on stilly moor or fen,
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O for that sweet, untroubled rest
That poets oft have sung!--
The babe upon its mother's breast,
The bird upon its young,
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Now summer is in flower and natures hum
Is never silent round her sultry bloom
Insects as small as dust are never done
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He eats (a moment's stoppage to his song)
The stolen turnip as he goes along;
And hops along and heeds with careless eye
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Sweet chestnuts brown like soling leather turn;
The larch trees, like the colour of the Sun;
That paled sky in the Autumn seemed to burn,
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When in summer thou walkest
In the meads by the river,
And to thyself talkest,
Dost thou think of one ever--
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In crime and enmity they lie
Who sin and tell us love can die,
Who say to us in slander's breath
That love belongs to sin and death.
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