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The Works of Tennyson

The Eversley Edition: Annotated by Alfred, Lord Tennyson: Edited by Hallam, Lord Tennyson
Tennyson, Alfred Tennyson (1809-1892)

expand sectionI. 
POEMS
expand sectionII. 
POEMS
expand sectionIII. 
ENOCH ARDEN AND IN MEMORIAM
expand sectionVII. 
THE PRINCESS AND MAUD
 V. 
IDYLLS OF THE KING
expand sectionIII. 
BALLADS AND OTHER POEMS
expand sectionIV. 
DEMETER AND OTHER POEMS
collapse sectionVIII. 
QUEEN MARY AND HAROLD
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QUEEN MARY:
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HAROLD:
  
[dedication]
  
SHOW-DAY AT BATTLE ABBEY, 1876.
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HAROLD: A DRAMA
expand sectionI. 
HAROLD.
expand sectionII. 
ACT II.
expand sectionIII. 
ACT III.
expand sectionIV. 
ACT IV.
expand sectionV. 
ACT V.
expand sectionIX. 
BECKET AND OTHER PLAYS

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XII.

An' I beänt not vaäin, but I knaws I 'ed led tha a quieter life
Nor her wi' the hepitaph yonder! “A faäithful an' loovin' wife!”
An' 'cos o' thy farm by the beck, an' thy windmill oop o' the croft,
Tha thowt tha would marry ma, did tha? but that wur a bit ower soft,
Thaw thou was es soäber es daäy, wi' a niced red faäce, an' es cleän
Es a shillin' fresh fro' the mint wi' a bran-new 'eäd o' the Queeän,
An' thy farmin' es cleän es thysen, fur, Steevie, tha kep' it sa neät
That I niver not spied sa much es a poppy along wi' the wheät,
275

An' the wool of a thistle a-flyin' an' seeädin' tha haäted to see;
'Twur es bad es a battle-twig 'ere i' my oän blue chaumber to me.
Ay, roob thy whiskers ageän ma, fur I could 'a taäen to tha well,
But fur thy bairns, poor Steevie, a bouncin' boy an' a gell.
 

Earwig.

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