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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 | The later poems of John Clare |  |
SONG
[The cows they are out in the pasture]
1
The cows they are out in the pastureWhere the maids go a milking at e'en
Untroubled by a common disaster
In every village they're seen
On the white thorn the cobweb is hinging
The knob weeds blood red on the hill
By the dyke yellow hammers are singing
Milkmaids sing more beautiful still
How sweet smells the hawthorn how lovely the scene
Where the beautiful maidens go milking at e'en
2
The cows are all out in the pastureThe Hedge sparrow chirps in the thorn
And there is the man with his master
Looking over the clover and corn
The milk maid looks like the hedge roses
When fi[r]st they begin to unclose
Her eyes are as bright as blue posies
That all down the pasture path grows
How sweet smells the hawthorn how lovely the scene
Where the beautiful maidens go milking at e'en
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3
The blackbird sings sweet in the valeWhile the ring dove is cooing beyond
And the wagtail whose wagging his tail
Catches midges that fly oer the pond
The gnats from the rushes fly up
In a column that toutches the sky
At the cow pond the heifer will stop
While the swallow goes merrily by
How sweet look the maidens with aprons so clean
And their well scoured pails going milking at e'en
| The later poems of John Clare | |