In a Spring Grove by William Allingham

In a Spring Grove by William Allingham Here the white-ray’d anemone is born, Wood-sorrel, and the varnish’d buttercup; And primrose in its purfled green swathed up, Pallid and sweet round every budding thorn, Gray ash, and beech with rusty leaves outworn. Here, too the darting linnet hath her nest In the blue-lustred holly, never shorn, […]

Half-waking by William Allingham

Half-waking by William Allingham I thought it was the little bed I slept in long ago; A straight white curtain at the head, And two smooth knobs below. I thought I saw the nursery fire, And in a chair well-known My mother sat, and did not tire With reading all alone. If I should make […]

Down on the Shore by William Allingham

Down on the Shore by William Allingham Down on the shore, on the sunny shore! Where the salt smell cheers the land; Where the tide moves bright under boundless light, And the surge on the glittering strand; Where the children wade in the shallow pools, Or run from the froth in play; Where the swift […]

Autumnal Sonnet by William Allingham

Autumnal Sonnet by William Allingham Now Autumn’s fire burns slowly along the woods, And day by day the dead leaves fall and melt, And night by night the monitory blast Wails in the key-hold, telling how it pass’d O’er empty fields, or upland solitudes, Or grim wide wave; and now the power is felt Of […]

An Evening by William Allingham

An Evening by William Allingham A sunset’s mounded cloud; A diamond evening-star; Sad blue hills afar; Love in his shroud. Scarcely a tear to shed; Hardly a word to say; The end of a summer day; Sweet Love dead. ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic […]

Amy Margaret’s Five Year Old by William Allingham

Amy Margaret’s Five Year Old by William Allingham Amy Margaret’s five years old, Amy Margaret’s hair is gold, Dearer twenty-thousand-fold Than gold, is Amy Margaret. “Amy” is friend, is “Margaret” The pearl for crown or carkanet? Or peeping daisy, summer’s pet? Which are you, Amy Margaret? A friend, a daisy, and a pearl, A kindly, […]

After Sunset by William Allingham

After Sunset by William Allingham The vast and solemn company of clouds Around the Sun’s death, lit, incarnadined, Cool into ashy wan; as Night enshrouds The level pasture, creeping up behind Through voiceless vales, o’er lawn and purpled hill And hazéd mead, her mystery to fulfil. Cows low from far-off farms; the loitering wind Sighs […]

Aeolian Harp by William Allingham

Aeolian Harp by William Allingham O pale green sea, With long, pale, purple clouds above; What lies in me like weight of love ? What dies in me With utter grief, because there comes no sign Through the sun-raying West, or the dim sea-line ? O salted air, Blown round the rocky headland still, What […]

Adieu to Belshanny by William Allingham

Adieu to Belshanny by William Allingham Adieu to Belashanny! where I was bred and born; Go where I may, I’ll think of you, as sure as night and morn. The kindly spot, the friendly town, where every one is known, And not a face in all the place but partly seems my own; There’s not […]

Abbey Assaroe by William Allingham

Abbey Assaroe by William Allingham Gray, gray is Abbey Assaroe, by Belashanny town, It has neither door nor window, the walls are broken down; The carven-stones lie scatter’d in briar and nettle-bed! The only feet are those that come at burial of the dead. A little rocky rivulet runs murmuring to the tide, Singing a […]

A Singer by William Allingham

A Singer by William Allingham That which he did not feel, he would not sing; What most he felt, religion it was to hide In a dumb darkling grotto, where the spring Of tremulous tears, arising unespied, Became a holy well that durst not glide Into the day with moil or murmuring; Whereto, as if […]

A Seed by William Allingham

A Seed by William Allingham See how a Seed, which Autumn flung down, And through the Winter neglected lay, Uncoils two little green leaves and two brown, With tiny root taking hold on the clay As, lifting and strengthening day by day, It pushes red branchless, sprouts new leaves, And cell after cell the Power […]

A Memory by William Allingham

A Memory by William Allingham Four ducks on a pond, A grass-bank beyond, A blue sky of spring, White clouds on the wing; What a little thing To remember for years- To remember with tears! ————— The End And that’s the End of the Poem © Poetry Monster, 2021. Poems by topic and subject. Poetry Monster […]

A Gravestone by William Allingham

A Gravestone by William Allingham Far from the churchyard dig his grave, On some green mound beside the wave; To westward, sea and sky alone, And sunsets. Put a mossy stone, With mortal name and date, a harp And bunch of wild flowers, carven sharp; Then leave it free to winds that blow, And patient […]

A Dream by William Allingham

A Dream by William Allingham I heard the dogs howl in the moonlight night; I went to the window to see the sight; All the Dead that ever I knew Going one by one and two by two. On they pass’d, and on they pass’d; Townsfellows all, from first to last; Born in the moonlight […]

A Day-Dream’s Reflection by William Allingham

A Day-Dream’s Reflection by William Allingham Chequer’d with woven shadows as I lay Among the grass, blinking the watery gleam, I saw an Echo-Spirit in his bay Most idly floating in the noontide beam. Slow heaved his filmy skiff, and fell, with sway Of ocean’s giant pulsing, and the Dream, Buoyed like the young moon […]

Zunsheen In The Winter by William Barnes

The winter clouds, that long did hide The zun, be all a-blown azide, An’ in the light, noo longer dim, Do sheen the ivy that do clim’ The tower’s zide an’ elem’s stim; An’ holmen bushes, in between The leafless thorns, be bright an’ green To zunsheen o’ the winter. The trees, that yesterday did […]

Zummer Thoughts In Winter Time by William Barnes

Well, aye, last evenèn, as I shook My locks ov haÿ by Leecombe brook. The yollow zun did weakly glance Upon the winter meäd askance, A-castèn out my narrow sheäde Athirt the brook, an’ on the meäd. The while ageän my lwonesome ears Did russle weatherbeäten spears, Below the withy’s leafless head That overhung the […]

Zummer Evenèn Dance by William Barnes

Come out to the parrock, come out to the tree, The maïdens an’ chaps be a-waïtèn vor thee; There’s Jim wi’ his fiddle to plaÿ us some reels, Come out along wi’ us, an’ fling up thy heels. Come, all the long grass is a-mow’d an’ a-carr’d, An’ the turf is so smooth as a […]

A Zong by William Barnes

O Jenny, don’t sobby! vor I shall be true; Noo might under heaven shall peärt me vrom you. My heart will be cwold, Jenny, when I do slight The zwell o’ thy bosom, thy eyes’ sparklèn light. My kinsvo’k would faïn zee me teäke vor my meäte A maïd that ha’ wealth, but a maïd […]

Zitten Out The Wold Year by William Barnes

Why, raïn or sheen, or blow or snow, I zaid, if I could stand so’s, I’d come, vor all a friend or foe, To sheäke ye by the hand, so’s; An’ spend, wi’ kinsvo’k near an’ dear, A happy evenèn, woonce a year, A-zot wi’ me’th Avore the he’th To zee the new year in, […]

Zellen Woone’s Honey To Buy Zome’hat Sweet by William Barnes

Why, his heart’s lik’ a popple, so hard as a stwone, Vor ’tis money, an’ money’s his ho, An’ to handle an’ reckon it up vor his own, Is the best o’ the jaÿs he do know. Why, vor money he’d gi’e up his lags an’ be leäme, Or would peärt wi’ his zight an’ […]

Woodcom’ Feast by William Barnes

Come, Fanny, come! put on thy white, ‘Tis Woodcom’ feäst, good now! to-night. Come! think noo mwore, you silly maïd, O’ chickèn drown’d, or ducks a-straÿ’d; Nor mwope to vind thy new frock’s taïl A-tore by hitchèn in a naïl; Nor grieve an’ hang thy head azide, A-thinkèn o’ thy lam’ that died. The flag’s […]

Wold Friends A-Met by William Barnes

Aye, vull my heart’s blood now do roll, An’ gaÿ do rise my happy soul, An’ well they mid, vor here our veet Avore woone vier ageän do meet; Vor you’ve avoun’ my feäce, to greet Wi’ welcome words my startlèn ear. An’ who be you, but John o’ Weer, An’ I, but William Wellburn. […]

A Wold Friend by William Barnes

Oh! when the friends we us’d to know, ‘V a-been a-lost vor years; an’ when Zome happy day do come, to show Their feäzen to our eyes ageän, Do meäke us look behind, John, Do bring wold times to mind, John, Do meäke hearts veel, if they be steel, All warm, an’ soft, an’ kind, […]

A Witch by William Barnes

There’s thik wold hag, Moll Brown, look zee, jus’ past! I wish the ugly sly wold witch Would tumble over into ditch; I woulden pull her out not very vast. No, no. I don’t think she’s a bit belied, No, she’s a witch, aye, Molly’s evil-eyed. Vor I do know o’ many a-withrèn blight A-cast […]

Whitsuntide An’ Club Walken by William Barnes

Ees, last Whit-Monday, I an’ Meäry Got up betimes to mind the deäiry; An’ gi’ed the milkèn païls a scrub, An’ dress’d, an’ went to zee the club. Vor up at public-house, by ten O’clock the pleäce wer vull o’ men, A-dress’d to goo to church, an’ dine, An’ walk about the pleäce in line. […]

Vo’k A-Comèn Into Church by William Barnes

The church do zeem a touchèn zight, When vo’k, a-comèn in at door, Do softly tread the long-aïl’d vloor Below the pillar’d arches’ height, Wi’ bells a-pealèn, Vo’k a-kneelèn, Hearts a-healèn, wi’ the love An’ peäce a-zent em vrom above. An’ there, wi’ mild an’ thoughtvul feäce, Wi’ downcast eyes, an’ vaïces dum’, The wold […]

Vellen O’ The Tree by William Barnes

Aye, the girt elem tree out in little hwome groun’ Wer a-stannèn this mornèn, an’ now’s a-cut down. Aye, the girt elem tree, so big roun’ an’ so high, Where the mowers did goo to their drink, an’ did lie In the sheäde ov his head, when the zun at his heighth Had a-drove em […]

Uncle An’ Aunt by William Barnes

How happy uncle us’d to be O’ zummer time, when aunt an’ he O’ Zunday evenèns, eärm in eärm, Did walk about their tiny farm, While birds did zing an’ gnats did zwarm, Drough grass a’most above their knees, An’ roun’ by hedges an’ by trees Wi’ leafy boughs a-swaÿèn. His hat wer broad, his […]

Treat Well Your Wife by William Barnes

No, no, good Meäster Collins cried, Why you’ve a good wife at your zide; Zoo do believe the heart is true That gi’ed up all bezide vor you, An’ still beheäve as you begun To seek the love that you’ve a-won When woonce in dewy June, In hours o’ hope soft eyes did flash, Each […]

To Me by William Barnes

At night, as drough the meäd I took my waÿ, In aïr a-sweeten’d by the new-meäde haÿ, A stream a-vallèn down a rock did sound, Though out o’ zight wer foam an’ stwone to me. Behind the knap, above the gloomy copse, The wind did russle in the trees’ high tops, Though evenèn darkness, an’ […]

The Zilver-Weed by William Barnes

The zilver-weed upon the green, Out where my sons an’ daughters play’d, Had never time to bloom between The litty steps o’ bwoy an’ maïd. But rwose-trees down along the wall, That then wer all the maïden’s ceäre, An’ all a-trimm’d an’ traïn’d, did bear Their bloomèn buds vrom Spring to Fall. But now the […]

The Woodlands by William Barnes

O spread ageän your leaves an’ flow’rs, Lwonesome woodlands! zunny woodlands! Here underneath the dewy show’rs O’ warm-aïr’d spring-time, zunny woodlands! As when, in drong or open ground, Wi’ happy bwoyish heart I vound The twitt’rèn birds a-buildèn round Your high-bough’d hedges, zunny woodlands. You gie’d me life, you gie’d me jaÿ, Lwonesome woodlands! zunny […]

The Wold Wall by William Barnes

Here, Jeäne, we vu’st did meet below The leafy boughs, a-swingèn slow, Avore the zun, wi’ evenèn glow, Above our road, a-beamèn red; The grass in zwath wer in the meäds, The water gleam’d among the reeds In aïr a-steälèn roun’ the hall, Where ivy clung upon the wall. Ah! well-a-day! O wall adieu! The […]

The Wold Waggon by William Barnes

The girt wold waggon uncle had, When I wer up a hardish lad, Did stand, a-screen’d vrom het an’ wet, In zummer at the barken geäte, Below the elems’ spreädèn boughs, A-rubb’d by all the pigs an’ cows. An’ I’ve a-clom his head an’ zides, A-riggèn up or jumpèn down A-plaÿèn, or in happy rides […]

The Wold Vo’k Dead by William Barnes

My days, wi’ wold vo’k all but gone, An’ childern now a-comèn on, Do bring me still my mother’s smiles In light that now do show my chile’s; An’ I’ve a-sheär’d the wold vo’ks’ me’th, Avore the burnèn Chris’mas he’th, At friendly bwoards, where feäce by feäce, Did, year by year, gi’e up its pleäce, […]

The Woddy Hollow by William Barnes

If mem’ry, when our hope’s a-gone, Could bring us dreams to cheat us on, Ov happiness our hearts voun’ true In years we come too quickly drough; What days should come to me, but you, That burn’d my youthvul cheäks wi’ zuns O’ zummer, in my plaÿsome runs About the woody hollow. When evenèn’s risèn […]

The Winter’s Willow by William Barnes

There Liddy zot bezide her cow, Upon her lowly seat, O; A hood did overhang her brow, Her païl wer at her veet, O; An’ she wer kind, an’ she wer feäir, An’ she wer young, an’ free o’ ceäre; Vew winters had a-blow’d her heäir, Bezide the Winter’s Willow. She idden woone a-rear’d in […]

The Window Freäm’d Wi’ Stwone by William Barnes

When Pentridge House wer still the nest O’ souls that now ha’ better rest, Avore the viër burnt to ground His beams an’ walls, that then wer sound, ‘Ithin a naïl-bestudded door, An’ passage wi’ a stwonèn vloor, There spread the hall, where zun-light shone In drough a window freäm’d wi’ stwone. A clavy-beam o’ […]