John Clare: The Midsummer Cushion :: :: University of Virginia Library

The Hut that stands in unpretending pride
With mossy thatch the meanest in the street
& smoke stained chimney far afield descried
Where swallows come springs dewy morn to meet
& in its shelter find a snug retreat
Plain shed yet they that in its shelter dwell
A portion of lifes joys neer fail to meet
Though [cares] full thick & often round them fell
Full pleasant are the tales their chronicles can tell

Calm industry though scantily supplied
Toils with content & smiles at idle fears
Warm providence their deity & guide
Trims hopes sweet bark to stem the sea of years
That life spreads onward—beautiful appears
The seeming smiles of comforts painted sky
Though neer attained faith still witholds its tears
& cheers them onward with unwearied eye
Still hoping better luck when e'er the worst is bye

Here dwells the village doctress one that owns
The praise of half the village for her powers
In curing every ill save broken bones
With famous drinks & ointments made of flowers
Sought for & gathered in propitious hours
When the fast waxing moon with thrifty speed
Outgrows her slender horns & dewy showers
Quickens the earth & fattens every weed
& thus her skill for cures grows marvelous indeed

Charms for the ague wrapt with mystic care
From the too curious eye of prying wight
That shivering patients in their bosoms wear
For many a hopeful day & restless night
Untill at last with wondersome delight
They miss the shivering fit & pleased confess
The wonder working charm hath acted right
& grant her mickle fame for such success
& think her deeply skilled & who can fancy less

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Thus famed she is for miles the village round
Though not the noisey travelled far & near
That water doctors gain from ways profound
Who sound without detection shaming fear
Quackerys loud trump in superstitions ear
She is contented with an humble claim
& thus her modest worth to all is dear
Strange is it thus to think that dainty fame
Should stoop at humble cots to notice such a dame

Culpeppers Herbal dark star reading wight
She as an helpmate to her skill possest
& Westleys Phisic which all dames delight
To read who fancy simple things the best
There in a corner cupboard she possest
Locked up for safetys sake as wisdom rare
From meddling child with mischief in its breast
Who as she turned her back might climb a chair
& pull the shelf books down a picture out to tear

Yet from the doctors stars she nought could learn
Puzzles indeed one easy might suppose
For wiser heads then grannys to discern
Yet fain their mighty mysterys to disclose
She often placed her glasses on her nose
To pore in study deep & earnest heed
Letting a hole grow bigger in her clothes
Neglecting toil his dark consciets to read
& when she'd racked her brains she rose sore vexed indeed

Yet though so ignorant in signs & lures
That skill of conjuring quack so well commends
She with poor people did such morts of cures
That in their eyes & such like partial friends
Phisic seemed oozing from her finger ends
They nothing know of learnings pomp not they
That makes so great a mystery—she attends
Prescribes & plasters—all for little pay
Thus fame & patients too increase with every day

Each broken teacup she preserves with care
& morts of things that on her shelf abound
Bottles that do their former uses wear
“Daffeys” & “Godfreys Cordial” labeled round

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Employed for drugs & uses less renowned
To hold unlabeled water for the eye
& oyster shells picked off the fallow ground
To hold the salve which woodmen come to buy
As oft their dangerous toils are needing fresh supply

& oft to hunt her herbs she hies abroad
Where she would meet birdnesting boys at play
Strewing the mossy nests about the road
& bearing in their hats the eggs away
She'd preach like parson oer their sinful play
& if they laughed her pitying plaints to hear
She'd shake her stick & threaten sore dismay
To make their rebel deeds grow kind in fear
For she in pitys cause was advocate severe

She had a tender heart as eer could be
& for live things aye she'd a love for all
She would not let the childern kill a bee
With beating hats beside her cottage wall
& if a spider in her cot did crawl
She'd take her brush & sweep it to the door
& een when beetles neath her foot did fall
As bustling oer the footpath or the floor
It cost her many a sigh & grieved her heart full sore

That whasp that in her window light trepanned
Buzzes for pitys sake nor calls in vain
She instant wraps her apron round her hand
& guides the adventurer to the broken pane
To greet its freedom & its friends again
Nor living thing that ever flies or crawls
Hath reason of her malice to complain
Save felon mouse that mercys boon forestalls
& in the baited trap for nightly plunder falls

The herbs most famous in her skills esteem
Were such as herbal books the most commend
Herbs that in common eyes do only seem
As common weeds unskilled to comprehend
The virtues wisdom in their praise has penned
& but for her & such as her they'd grow
Their little lives away without a friend
One passing glance of notice to bestow

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As when they come in bloom or out of bloom they go

Famed earthern tongue that sprouts on april baulks
& Mallows horseshoe leaves by every wall
& inner bark scraped from young eldern stalks
Of these she makes an ointment fit for all
Green wounds that eer to poor mans lot befall
& wormwood tufts that thrive in many a town
& stinking seeding burdock spreading tall
That plagues the maiden in her sunday gown
These in her matchless skill grew weeds of high renown

& self heal flowering in a russet husk
& scurvy grass that pursy grannys prize
With dwarf heath mallows smelling faint of musk
Bogbean too shining in its mozzly dyes
Brooklime that on the shallow water lies
With famous eyebrights slightly penciled flowers
Infallable for weak short sighted eyes
These strange to schoolboys in flower seeking hours
Who think them worthless all to her own mighty powers

Tormentil also with its yellow bloom
Thriving on wild uncultivated land
& creeping five leaved grass that maketh room
In every spot its tendrills to expand
These would she gather with right careful hand
& hang them up to dry in many a row
For drinks & teas & uses rightly scanned
& more she sought whose fames I must forego
Or my unlearned ryhmes will bulky herbals grow

In sooth she is an all accomplished dame
Not learned in herbs alone but all compact
In useful skill not taking note of fame
She turns her hand to every thing in fact
& though some errors now & then detract
Some little from the much she seems to know
Her knowledge doth full many brains distract
That of her thrift & fame right jealous grow
& struggles all how vain in the same steps to go

Bees much her head to study did invite
& with her musing hours doth well agree

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It bringeth all both profit & delight
To study knowledge of the honey bee
& she by certain signs few else could see
Knew when they were in liklihood to swarm
From certain sounds that in the hive would be
For even to such signs she could conform
As if those sounds were words & language uniform

When round the hives in May they thickening flye
She seeks her new made hives to dress them well
With balm & hairy fennel scented high
That grow in monstrous bunches by the well
Mysterious problems of some learned spell
To make them in their new abode remain
& warming pan half loud as village bell
She rings their roving ears to entertain
As though they loved the sound nor rings she oft in vain

& when they swarm on plumb or eldern tree
She'll take them in the hive with naked hand
Not frit to bear the sting of rebel bee
Harmless as flies as if by choice trepanned
Or by her spells subjected to command
They spin about her ears on harmless wing
& though she close about their hives will stand
For hours on sabbath mornings in the spring
To watch them at their toil none ever shows his sting

Yet she did reverence to the sunday pay
& set her brush & mop behind the door
& all her dirty things & wheel away
Putting her house to rights the day before
Of labour she would dare to do no more
When sunday came—yet shes so passing clean
Folks vow they een could eat upon the floor
Which not one time in ten was ever seen
Unswept or grit the while to fill the bricks atween

She neer missed going to church or foul or fair
Loath as she is her good red cloak to spoil
She seeks her ancient prayerbook wrapt with care
In cotton covers lest her hands should soil
The gilded back full loath is she to spoil
A book of which her parents took such heed

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For it hath grown in memorys sacred soil
An old esteem from sire to son decreed
& to ill use such book were sacrilidge indeed

& if she failed to hear the chiming bell
As much her hearing failed her—at the door
She'll watch some neighbour her mishap to tell
& sigh & undergo temptations sore
Thinking that God will heed her prayers no more
Thus to neglect her duty—yet the while
She'll read the prayers & good church lessons oer
Or “Bunyans Pilgrim” errors to beguile
& thus oer godly books her fears will recconsile

Two jobs there are which she feels bound to do
What ever rest the sabbath may require
& on a working day she'll cease to sew
& close her book how eer she may admire
The passage she is reading or desire
To finish—she must turn the leaf adown
& pull her glasses off to stir the fire
& turn her hour glass up in case of brown
Worm eat by heedless age & praised by many a clown

In wicker cage placed in the lilac bush
That hides the cottage door with flowers in may
Loud sings & long hath sung a merry thrush
Hung constant there to share the sunny day
Strangers oft turn to listen to the lay
& village boys full often & full long
Forgo their errands by that spot to play
While bawling mothers scold that thrushes song
& with unfeeling ears the powers of music wrong

A magpie too as tame as dunghill cock
Strays where it will & where it lists will flye
& every human voice it hears will mock
Sing whistle talk & mimic laugh & cry
& should some merry maid go dancing bye
Like wicked clown it will her worth defame
Holes in her stocking heels soon meets his eye
& fast he follows while she runs in shame
Calling her naughty names my ryhmes are loath to name

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& she has bantum fowls few else will prize
Muffled with feathers to the very toe
Scarce bigger than a partridge in their size
To whom a dish of corn she'll daily throw
& proud the cock will stretch his wings & crow
Beside his dames—though sparrows on the tree
That overhang the well will let him know
They think their little selves as good as he
& peck the corn with him & see no fear to flee

& more of curious things to note & heed
The tasteful eye about her cot may see
That would be deemed right curious all indeed
Had Dr Solomon or such as he
Been born the tennant of her cot to be
Yet she as worthy honours neer procures
From colledge grants diploma or degree
While some thats gained them shameful sight endures
To see their drugs less prized & notified for cures

& when she dies no doubt fames latent spark
Will light up epitaph her powers to tell
& warm the muse of worthy parish clerk
To chime a stanza while he chimes the bell
& unto all the world her praises tell
If all the world would read her humble stone
For twere a burning shame & sin as well
That one who hath such cures & wonders shown
Should leave the world for aye & be for aye unknown