 | The Poems of John Clare |  |
361
WILD BEES' NEST
The mower tramples on the wild bees' nest,And hears the busy noise, and stops the rest;
Who careless proggle out the mossy ball
And gather up the honey, comb and all.
The boy that seeks dewberries from the sedge,
And lays the poison berries on the hedge,
Will often find them in the meadow hay,
And take his bough and drive the bees away.
But when the maiden goes to turn the hay
She whips her apron up and runs away;
The schoolboy eats the honey, comb and all,
And often knocks his hat agen the wall,
And progs the stick in every hole he sees
To steal the honey-bag of black-nosed bees.
| The Poems of John Clare | |