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...RETREAT by WILFRID WILSON GIBSON THE STORY OF AUGUSTUS WHO WOULD NOT HAVE ANY SOUP by HEINRICH HOFFMANN EPIGRAM: 101 by MARCUS VALERIUS MARTIALIS ODES: BOOK 1: ODE 3. TO A FRIEND UNSUCCESSFUL IN LOVE by MARK AKENSIDE |