The Poem

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Dear Child of Nature, let them rail!
—There is a nest in a green dale,
A harbour and a hold;
Where thou, a Wife and Friend, shalt see
Thy own heart-stirring days, and be
A light to young and old.
There, healthy as a shepherd boy,
And treading among flowers of joy
Which at no season fade,
Thou, while thy babes around thee cling,
Shalt show us how divine a thing
A Woman may be made.
Thy thoughts and feelings shall not die,
Nor leave thee, when grey hairs are nigh
A melancholy slave;
But an old age serene and bright,
And lovely as a Lapland night,
Shall lead thee to thy grave.
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[Variant 1:]

1836
Thy own delightful days, ...1802

Thy own delightful days, ...

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[Variant 2:]

1836
As if thy heritage were joy,
And pleasure were thy trade.
1802
And treading among flowers of joy,
That at no season fade,
1827

As if thy heritage were joy,
And pleasure were thy trade.

And treading among flowers of joy,
That at no season fade,

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[Variant 3:]

1815
... alive ... 1802

... alive ...

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[Footnote A:]

For the original title of this poem,—as published in The Morning Post and Gazetteer,—see the note to the previous poem. When first published it was unsigned.—Ed.

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Note:

See the editorial [note] to the preceding poem.—Ed.

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1803

The poems associated with the year 1803 consist mainly of the "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland," which Wordsworth and his sister took—along with Coleridge—in the autumn of that year, although many of these were not written till some time after the Tour was finished. The Green Linnet and Yew-trees were written in 1803, and some sonnets were composed in the month of October; but, on the whole, 1803 was not a fruitful year in Wordsworth's life, as regards his lyrics and smaller poems. Doubtless both The Prelude and The Excursion were revised in 1803.—Ed.

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[1801]←end of Volume II: 1802→[1803]
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Wordsworth's Poetical Works, Volume 2: 1803

Edited by William Knight

1896

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The poems associated with the year 1803 consist mainly of the "Memorials of a Tour in Scotland," which Wordsworth and his sister took—along with Coleridge—in the autumn of that year, although many of these were not written till some time after the Tour was finished. The Green Linnet and Yew-trees were written in 1803, and some sonnets were composed in the month of October; but, on the whole, 1803 was not a fruitful year in Wordsworth's life, as regards his lyrics and smaller poems. Doubtless both The Prelude and The Excursion were revised in 1803.—Ed.

[Contents 1803]
[Main Contents]

The Green Linnet