The Wild Oats O wild oats, the wild oats!
These little seeds, where’er they grow,
Are all that fate allows me
In this horizon’s place.
What mildew clings upon them,
What weeds may overshadow them,
What hapless tears my fate has sown!
O wild oats, the wild oats!
Yet will I apply
My weak hands to the harvest,
Willing every day to grow.
Shall they obscure my sunlight?
My banners will unfurl,
And ye shall grow to wisdom—
My hollow words of mirth.
O wild oats, my wild oats!
Your delicate green—
Every blade boasts of the sweetness
Of perfume and of sheen!
Let poets sing of daisies,
And of birth and marriage feasts;
Yet, O fate, I’ll wring my hands,
And thank you for these wild oats,
These seeds, this bitterness,
This beauty in my night.
The fields will sing of beauty
Within the evening glow,
Yet you shall bear my sorrows,
As I lay seeds of woe.
By the Sea The crabs are scuttling in and out,
The waves, they ebb, and flow about,
The stones they rest upon the sands,
All in a talespin of changing hands.
The sea—my heart how thrilled it beats!
To lose in breadth, in depth, in sheets,
O stranger love upon the shore
It pulls me forth—I ask no more.
The winds sweep slight upon the time;
The vessels’ sails are flown in rhyme,
Yet as we struggle towards the fate,
Each landscape then becomes my mate.
The seas, they boil, the meadows sway,
From dawn till dusk and shade till day,
This journey threw me forth to roam
Yet with this ocean, I find home!
The Sun in Heaven An arrow shot among a dew
The sun upon the fields;
As dusk begins to cover blue,
He awakens nature’s shields.
All bloomers sway in gentle tune,
They find joy in waking light,
Why should we seek the lovesome moon
To bid farewell to night?
When nothing holds a spark of blame,
In this warm beauteous dawn,
To tell of life, of love, of name,
As we perceive the fawn.
With a little touch of pride,
The world lies at my feet,
The sun in heaven abides—
For now, my heart’s complete!
In the Wood Deep in the wood,
Where shadows lie,
Where the violets bloom
And the fairies fly,
Everything sleeps,
On mosses soft,
Wild creatures stir
With the green aloft.
The silence sings
To the stars above,
And I stand there lost—
And meet my love.
To the Cuckoo O singer of a joyful tune,
Filling hollow woods with glee,
Your notes leap high and proud and soon,
Bring joy to every tree.
You dart from bough to bough,
In glades of sweet repose,
With every turn I ache and vow,
To keep my heart in clothes.
To hear your call appear and shade,
As nature’s flutes arrive,
In twilight’s mist you parade,
Quite simply—it’s to thrive.
Summer’s Glow Amidst a day of summer’s glow,
When petals burst, and sunbeams flow,
‘Tis elegance in shining gold—
All nature’s art, a tale retold.
The burst of peonies, roses blaze,
In quiet air, we weave our gaze;
A voyage to the height of glee,
Our hearts rejoice beneath the tree.
The field is dressed, arrayed so soft,
O fragrant wildness, you are aloft,
As honey drips from every quill,
We float along, we drink our fill!
The Nightingale Come, little Nightingale, sing sweet,
Where willows weep and shadows greet,
Your voice, a silver thread—so rare,
Lifts hearts of all to quenching air.
In darkest eves you rise above—
Hymn to me in song of love,
Let secrets linger in your tune,
For I shall dream beneath the moon.
A Discoloured Leaf
Upon the grass lays discoloured leaf,
In sun—its gold, a touching grief;
A funeral thread from out the sky,
Beloved breath of life gone by.
O whisper me the tales untold,
Of nature’s rhythms fierce yet bold;
A withered fragrant heart—why stay,
As mirth always will pass away.
The Flower Among the intuitive blooms I find,
A floral heart begins to unwind;
A petaled soul awakens slow,
Till sweeten’d breezes freely blow.
To blend in joy, forgotten, run,
The dance of earth, the kiss of sun,
Though days will fade—colors may die,
You linger sweetly ever nigh!
To the Summer Rain Sweet summer rain, your kisses fall,
Upon my skin, your joy enthralls,
Each droplet dances, weaves the air,
And carries light, yet whispers rare.
Embrace me in your cool delight,
As night unveils all hidden sights,
I rise to meet your gentle grace,
In every curve—I find my place!
Upon the Hill Where sheep do graze,
On grassy hill,
With golden rays,
And time stands still.
The distant chime of azure bells,
A happy tale the meadow tells,
And yet my heart, it takes away—
With flow of thought that renders play.
The world enfolds, the shadows cast,
Where Bertram lies, the sky grows vast,
In wonder I shall find my way—
Through every breath, in yonder day.
Equinox In twilight skies of dark and light,
As time unfolds my dreams in sight;
The dances of the days depart,
And rhythm flows within my heart.
A season’s tune begins anew,
The sky is kissed with drops of dew,
As swift the night takes hold again,
Remember well these silver pains!
- Richard Jefferies