January 3, 2009

When a Little Farm I Keep


When a little farm I keep,
I shall tend my kine and sheep,
And my pretty lambs shall fold
In deep pastures starred with gold.

On green carpets they shall tread,
Gold and purple be their bed,
Honey clover make their food
In a watered solitude.

Garden places I shall tend,
For a welcome to a friend,
Make for him a roomy seat
By the box and privet sweet.

And my kitchen garden shall
Grow me fruits on tree and wall,
Give me blossoms in the spring
And an autumn gathering.

An old dial and a cote
Where the pigeons fly and float,
And a well so green and dim
Where the little fishes swim.

Hives of honey I shall own,
Bees with drowsy monotone
Toil all day to bring me home
Heather honey at the gloam.

Twixt the mountains and the sea
There my little farm will be.
In a heart-remembered spot
I shall have my happy lot.

In a heart-remembered place,
Where the mountains lift their face,
I shall tend my sheep and kine,
And a thankful heart be mine.

When a little farm I keep,
I shall sleep the happiest sleep,
To my simple meals invite
Thanksgiving and appetite.

In the heart-remembered place
I shall wear a shining face,
And my quiet nights be praise,
And a prayer my innocent days.


By
Katharine Hinkson (1861-1931)


(Kine:cattle, box: evergreen, privet:scrub, cote:cottage, gloam:dusk)

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Nice poem.

Joanna@BooneDocksWilcox said...

oh Jama, isn't that just awesome, that's me,and written so beautiully. I'm stealing it, and I gotta post it on my blog too. I have to look up that poetress.

Jennifer said...

What a beautiful poem, I loved it!

Phill said...

Awesome poem. It put me in mind of something I have been meaning to mention for a while - There's a poem by Shelley that has a title SO close to your blog name/town's original name - It's "Proserpine." And it's even about the beauty of nature. I think there is a stage version too, written in verse.