 | The Poems of John Clare |  |
383
SIGHING FOR RETIREMENT
Oh, take me from the busy crowd,
I cannot bear the noise!
For Nature's voice is never loud;
I seek for quiet joys.
I cannot bear the noise!
For Nature's voice is never loud;
I seek for quiet joys.
The book I love is everywhere,
And not in idle words;
The book I love is known to all,
And better love affords.
And not in idle words;
The book I love is known to all,
And better love affords.
The book I love is everywhere,
And every place the same;
God bade me make my dwelling there,
And look for better fame.
And every place the same;
God bade me make my dwelling there,
And look for better fame.
384
I never feared the critic's pen,
To live by my renown;
I found the poems in the fields,
And only wrote them down.
To live by my renown;
I found the poems in the fields,
And only wrote them down.
And quiet Epping pleases well,
Where Nature's love delays;
I joy to see the quiet place,
And wait for better days.
Where Nature's love delays;
I joy to see the quiet place,
And wait for better days.
| The Poems of John Clare | |