Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, JEREMY JOY, by NORMAN ROWLAND GALE


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

JEREMY JOY, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: Red winter, with a sigh and shrug
Last Line: When jeremy joy was singing!
Subject(s): Winter; Yorkshire, England


(In the Cleveland district of Yorkshire the misselthrush is so called.)

RED Winter, with a sigh and shrug,
First listens to the sound,
And then begins to roll the rug
Of fairy lambswool from the ground.
The Spirit of Flowers along the sky
With far-away plumes is winging,
And, full of faith, on a tree close by,
Sir Jeremy Joy is singing.

Here's once again the sweet surprise
Of what is old, yet new!—
The crocus lifting to the skies
His dew-glass wet with radiant dew.
My body a nest of pulses seems,
Like meadow-born lambs a-springing,
And into my heart flock purple dreams,
For Jeremy Joy is singing.

The year-long wanderers from my breast
Come lovely home to me,
With pale-green palms together pressed,
As if they begged for charity.
The woodland whispers of the foam
Of flowers alert for bringing
The snow-bound bee from his honeycomb,
For Jeremy Joy is singing.

Who comes from Cleveland, he will know
The bonny bird I mean,
And in his breast may cheerier go
His heart for some thrice-happy scene:
Perchance he went by prosperous farms
And bells of rivulets ringing,
To bend his neck for young love's arms
When Jeremy Joy was singing!





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