Logos Virtual Library: Keats: For there’s Bishop’s teign

John Keats

For there’s Bishop’s teign

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John Keats (1795-1821)

For there’s Bishop’s teign

And King’s teign
And Coomb at the clear Teign head—

Where close by the stream

You may have your cream
All spread upon barley bread.

II

There’s Arch Brook

And there’s Larch Brook
Both turning many a mill,

And cooling the drouth

Of the salmon’s mouth
And fattening his silver gill.

III

There is Wild Wood,

A mild hood
To the sheep on the lea o’ the down,

Where the golden furze,

With its green, thin spurs,
Doth catch at the maiden’s gown.

IV

There is Newton Marsh

With its spear grass harsh—
A pleasant summer level

Where the maidens sweet

Of the Market Street
Do meet in the dusk to revel.

V

There’s the Barton rich

With dyke and ditch
And hedge for the thrush to live in,

And the hollow tree

For the buzzing bee
And a bank for the wasp to hive in.

VI

And O, and O

The daisies blow
And the primroses are waken’d,

And violets white

Sit in silver plight,
And the green bud’s as long as the spike end.

VII

Then who would go

Into dark Soho
And chatter with dack’d-hair’d critics,

When he can stay

For the new-mown hay
And startle the dappled prickets?