Broken, bewildered by the long retreat Across the stifling leagues of Southern plain, Across the scorching leagues of trampled grain, Half-stunned, half-blinded by the trudge of feet And dusty smother of the August heat, He dreamt of flowers in an English lane, Of hedgerow flowers glistening after rain -- All-heal and willowherb and meadowsweet. All-heal and willowherb and meadowsweet -- The innocent names kept up a cool refrain, All-heal and willowherb and meadowsweet, Chiming and tinkling through his aching brain Until he babbled as a child again -- "All-heal and willowherb and meadowsweet." | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...I'VE NOTHING TO OFFER by DAVID IGNATOW SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE: 35 by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING BY THE RIVERS OF BABYLON WE SAT DOWN AND WEPT by GEORGE GORDON BYRON FRAGMENT, ON THE BACK OF THE POET'S MS. OF CANTO I OF 'DON JUAN' by GEORGE GORDON BYRON THE GRASSHOPPER AND THE CRICKET by JAMES HENRY LEIGH HUNT TO MRS. THRALE [ON HER COMPLETING HER THIRTY-FIFTH YEAR] by SAMUEL JOHNSON (1709-1784) |