Poems Chiefly from Manuscript Part 17

The cat runs races with her tail. The dog Leaps oer the orchard hedge and knarls the gra.s.s.

The swine run round and grunt and play with straw, s.n.a.t.c.hing out hasty mouthfuls from the stack.

Sudden upon the elmtree tops the crow Unceremonious visit pays and croaks, Then swops away. From mossy barn the owl Bobs hasty out--wheels round and, scared as soon, As hastily retires. The ducks grow wild And from the muddy pond fly up and wheel A circle round the village and soon, tired, Plunge in the pond again. The maids in haste s.n.a.t.c.h from the orchard hedge the mizzled clothes And laughing hurry in to keep them dry.

_Nightwind_

Darkness like midnight from the sobbing woods Clamours with dismal tidings of the rain, Roaring as rivers breaking loose in floods To spread and foam and deluge all the plain.

The cotter listens at his door again, Half doubting whether it be floods or wind, And through the thickening darkness looks afraid, Thinking of roads that travel has to find Through night's black depths in danger's garb arrayed.

And the loud glabber round the flaze soon stops When hushed to silence by the lifted hand Of fearing dame who hears the noise in dread And thinks a deluge comes to drown the land; Nor dares she go to bed until the tempest drops.

NOTE.--The remaining poems in this section are taken from a series, numbering several hundred brief pieces, written by Clare in the winter of 1835-6. Perhaps it is unjust to Clare to consider them out of their environment; it would be more unjust not to represent this phase of his poetry.

_Birds in Alarm_

The firetail tells the boys when nests are nigh And tweets and flies from every pa.s.ser-bye.

The yellowhammer never makes a noise But flies in silence from the noisy boys; The boys will come and take them every day, And still she lays as none were ta'en away.

The nightingale keeps tweeting-churring round But leaves in silence when the nest is found.

The pewit hollos "chewrit" as she flies And flops about the shepherd where he lies; But when her nest is found she stops her song And c.o.c.ks [her] coppled crown and runs along.

Wrens c.o.c.k their tails and chitter loud and play, And robins hollo "tut" and fly away.

_d.y.k.e Side_

The frog croaks loud, and maidens dare not pa.s.s But fear the noisome toad and shun the gra.s.s; 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 woodp.e.c.k.e.r bounces from the view And hollos as he buzzes bye "kew kew."

_Badger_

When midnight comes a host of dogs and men Go out and track the badger to his den, And put a sack within the hole, and lie Till the old grunting badger pa.s.ses bye.

He comes and hears--they let the strongest loose.

The old fox hears the noise and drops the goose.

The poacher shoots and hurries from the cry, And the old hare half wounded buzzes bye.

They get a forked stick to bear him down And clap the dogs and take him to the town, And bait him all the day with many dogs, And laugh and shout and fright the scampering hogs.

He runs along and bites at all he meets: They shout and hollo down the noisy streets.

He turns about to face the loud uproar And drives the rebels to their very door.

The frequent stone is hurled where eer they go; When badgers fight, then every one's a foe.

The dogs are clapt and urged to join the fray; The badger turns and drives them all away.

Though scarcely half as big, demure and small, He fights with dogs for bones and beats them all.

The heavy mastiff, savage in the fray, Lies down and licks his feet and turns away.

The bulldog knows his match and waxes cold, The badger grins and never leaves his hold.

He drives the crowd and follows at their heels And bites them through--the drunkard swears and reels.

The frighted women take the boys away, The blackguard laughs and hurries on the fray.

He tries to reach the woods, an awkward race, But sticks and cudgels quickly stop the chace.

He turns agen and drives the noisy crowd And beats the many dogs in noises loud.

He drives away and beats them every one, And then they loose them all and set them on.

He falls as dead and kicked by boys and men, Then starts and grins and drives the crowd agen; Till kicked and torn and beaten out he lies And leaves his hold and cackles, groans, and dies.

_The Fox_

The shepherd on his journey heard when nigh His dog among the bushes barking high; The ploughman ran and gave a hearty shout, He found a weary fox and beat him out.

The ploughman laughed and would have ploughed him in But the old shepherd took him for the skin.

He lay upon the furrow stretched for dead, The old dog lay and licked the wounds that bled, The ploughman beat him till his ribs would crack, And then the shepherd slung him at his back; And when he rested, to his dog's surprise, The old fox started from his dead disguise; And while the dog lay panting in the sedge He up and snapt and bolted through the hedge.

He scampered to the bushes far away; The shepherd called the ploughman to the fray; The ploughman wished he had a gun to shoot.

The old dog barked and followed the pursuit.

The shepherd threw his hook and tottered past; The ploughman ran but none could go so fast; The woodman threw his f.a.ggot from the way And ceased to chop and wondered at the fray.

But when he saw the dog and heard the cry He threw his hatchet--but the fox was bye.

The shepherd broke his hook and lost the skin; He found a badger hole and bolted in.

They tried to dig, but, safe from danger's way, He lived to chase the hounds another day.

_The Vixen_

Among the taller wood with ivy hung, The old fox plays and dances round her young.

She snuffs and barks if any pa.s.ses bye And swings her tail and turns prepared to fly.

The horseman hurries bye, she bolts to see, And turns agen, from danger never free.

If any stands she runs among the poles And barks and snaps and drives them in the holes.

The shepherd sees them and the boy goes bye And gets a stick and progs the hole to try.

They get all still and lie in safety sure And out again when every thing's secure And start and snap at blackbirds bouncing bye To fight and catch the great white b.u.t.terfly.

_Turkeys_

The turkeys wade the close to catch the bees In the old border full of maple trees And often lay away and breed and come And bring a brood of chelping chickens home.

The turkey gobbles loud and drops his rag And struts and sprunts his tail and then lets drag His wing on ground and makes a huzzing noise, Nauntles at pa.s.ser-bye and drives the boys And bounces up and flies at pa.s.ser-bye.

The old dog snaps and grins nor ventures nigh.

He gobbles loud and drives the boys from play; They throw their sticks and kick and run away.

_The Poet's Death_

The world is taking little heed And plods from day to day: The vulgar flourish like a weed, The learned pa.s.s away.

We miss him on the summer path The lonely summer day, Where mowers cut the pleasant swath And maidens make the hay.

The vulgar take but little heed; The garden wants his care; There lies the book he used to read, There stands the empty chair.

The boat laid up, the voyage oer, And pa.s.sed the stormy wave, The world is going as before, The poet in his grave.