The dreary fen

The dreary fen a waste of water goes

With nothing to be seen but Royston crows
The traveller journeying on the road for hours
Sees nothing but the dykes & water-flowers
The lonely lodges scattered miles away
Lock up from fear & robbers all the day
The merry maiden that no place dislikes
Runs out & fills her kettle from the dykes
She hurries wildly from the face of men
& knows no company but cock and hen
Here highland maiden sees in Sundays hour
The glorious sight of sainfoin grounds in flower
& meets the savoury smells that wake the morn
The woodbine hedges & the poppied corn

Follow for daily #JohnClare postings

#poetry  #environment #truth #honesty