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Ballad. A Weedling Wild, On Lonely Lea

By John Clare

Topics: classic

A weedling wild, on lonely lea,     My evening rambles chanc'd to see;     And much the weedling tempted me     To crop its tender flower:     Expos'd to wind and heavy rain,     Its head bow'd lowly on the plain;     And silently it seem'd in pain     Of life's endanger'd hour.     "And wilt thou bid my bloom decay,     And crop my flower, and me betray?     And cast my injur'd sweets away,"--     Its silence seemly sigh'd--     "A moment's idol of thy mind?     And is a stranger so unkind,     To leave a shameful root behind,     Bereft of all its pride?"     And so it seemly did complain;     And beating fell the heavy rain;     And low it droop'd upon the plain,     To fate resign'd to fall:     My heart did melt at its decline,     And "Come," said I, "thou gem divine,     My fate shall stand the storm with thine;"     So took the root and all.

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Author:John Clare

"A weedling wild, on lonely lea,..." by John Clare

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

John Clare

About John Clare

John Clare (1793–1864) was an English poet known as the "peasant poet" for his humble origins. His nature poetry—including "I Am" and "Badger"—captures the English countryside with extraordinary precision and emotional honesty, and he is now recognized as one of the finest nature poets in the language.

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