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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PERPLEXITIES |
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 | The later poems of John Clare |  |
PERPLEXITIES
1
I talk to the birds as they sing i' the mornThe larks and the Sparrow's that spring from the corn
The Chaffinch and Linnet that sings in the bush
Till the zephyr like breezes all bid me to hush
Then silent I go and in fancy I steal
A kiss from the lips of a name I conceal
But should I meet her I've cherish'd for years
I pass by in silence in fondness and fears
2
Yes I pass her in silence and say not a wordAnd the noise o' my footsteps may scarcely be heard
I scarcely presume to cast on her my eye
And then for a week I do nothing but sigh
If I look on a wild flower I see her face there
There it is in its beauty all radient and fair
And should she pass by I've nothing to say
We are both of us silent & have our own way
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3
I talk to the birds the wind and the rainMy love to my dear one I never explain
I talk to the flower's which are growing all wild
As if one was herself and the other her child
I utter sweet words in my fanciful way
But if she come's by I've nothing to say
To look for a kiss I would if I dare
But I feel myself lost when near to my fair—
| The later poems of John Clare | |