The Child in the Orchard
[THE CHILD IN THE ORCHARD] by EDWARD THOMAS
'He rolls in the orchard: he is stained with moss
And with earth, the solitary old white horse.
Where is his father and where is his mother
Among all the brown horses? Has he a brother?
I know the swallow, the hawk, and the hern;
But there are two million things for me to learn.
'Who was the lady that rode the white horse
With rings and bells to Banbury Cross?
Was there no other lady in England beside
That a nursery rhyme could take for a ride?
The swift, the swallow, the hawk, and the hern.
There are two million things for me to learn.
'Was there a man once who straddled across
The back of the Westbury White Horse
Over there on Salisbury Plain's green wall?
Was he bound for Westbury, or had he a fall?
The swift, the swallow, the hawk and the hern.
There are two million things for me to learn.
'Out of all the white horses I know three,
At the age of six; and it seems to me
There is so much to learn, for men,
That I dare not go to bed again.
The swift, the swallow, the hawk and the hern.
There are millions of things for me to learn.'
| Title |
The Child in the Orchard
|
|---|---|
| Author |
Thomas, Edward (1878-1917)
|
| Notes |
This poem is named by Thomas, 'Edward Thomas: Collected Poems' [138] after its first line ('He rolls in the orchard: He is stained with moss') and as 'The Child in the Orchard' by Longley, 'Edward Thomas: The Annotated Collected Poems'.
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| Item date |
1979
|
| Content | |
| Copyright |
Copyright Edward Thomas, 1979, reproduced under licence from Faber and Faber Ltd.
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| Digital repository | |
| Repository name |
ProQuest
|
| Repository address URL | |
| First line |
'He rolls in the orchard: he is stained with moss
|
| Publication source |
Edward Thomas Collected Poems
|
| Publication editor |
Thomas, George
|
| Publishers |
Faber and Faber
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| Publication place |
London
|
Collection
Citation
“The Child in the Orchard,” by Thomas, Edward (1878-1917). Copyright Edward Thomas, 1979, reproduced under licence from Faber and Faber Ltd. via First World War Poetry Digital Archive, accessed April 19, 2024, http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/collections/item/2975.
Permitted Use
This item is available for non-commercial educational use under the terms of the Jisc Model Licence. Further details available at: http://ww1lit.nsms.ox.ac.uk/ww1lit/permitteduse
