Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE HEATH-COCK, by JOANNA BAILLIE



Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE HEATH-COCK, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: Good morrow to thy sable beak
Last Line: Thou art already on the wing.
Variant Title(s): The Black Cock
Subject(s): Birds; Roosters; Snowdon (mountain), Wales; Cocks


GOOD morrow to thy sable beak
And glossy plumage dark and sleek,
Thy crimson moon and azure eye,
Cock of the heath, so wildly shy:
I see thee slyly cowering through
That wiry web of silvery dew,
That twinkles in the morning air,
Like casements of my lady fair.
A maid there is in yonder tower,
Who, peeping from her early bower,
Half show, like thee, her simple wile,
Her braided hair and morning smile.
The rarest things, with wayward will,
Beneath the covert hide them still;
The rarest things to break of day
Look shortly forth, and shrink away.
A fleeting moment of delight
I sunned me in her cheering sight;
As short, I ween, the time will be
That I shall parley hold with thee.
Through Snowdon's mist red beams the day,
The climbing herd-boy chants his lay,
The gnat-flies dance their sunny ring, --
Thou art already on the wing.




Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...



Home: PoetryExplorer.net