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Dyke Side

By John Clare

Topics: classic

The frog croaks loud, and maidens dare not pass     But fear the noisome toad and shun the grass;     And on the sunny banks they dare not go     Where hissing snakes run to the flood below.     The nuthatch noises loud in wood and wild,     Like women turning skreeking to a child.     The schoolboy hears and brushes through the trees     And runs about till drabbled to the knees.     The old hawk winnows round the old crow's nest;     The schoolboy hears and wonder fills his breast.     He throws his basket down to climb the tree     And wonders what the red blotched eggs can be:     The green woodpecker bounces from the view     And hollos as he buzzes bye "kew kew."

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"The frog croaks loud, and maidens dare not pass..."

This evocative piece by John Clare, titled "Dyke Side", represents a masterful exploration of classic. The lines capture a profound emotional resonance... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:John Clare

"The frog croaks loud, and maidens dare not pass..." 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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