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The later poems of John Clare

1837-1864 ... General editor Eric Robinson: Edited by Eric Robinson and David Powell: Associate editor Margaret Grainger

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766

FRAGMENT

[The cataract whirling to the precipiece]

The cataract whirling to the precipiece
Elbows down rocks and shoulders thundering through
Roars, howls and stifled murmurs never cease
Hell and its agonies seems hid below
Thick rolls the mist that smokes and falls in dew
The trees and greensward wear the deepest green
Horrible mysteries in the gulf stares through
Darkness and foam are indistinctly seen
Roars of a million tongues and none knows what they mean