Robert Herrick (1591-1674)
His Return to London
1From the dull confines of the drooping west
2To see the day spring from the pregnant east,
3Ravish'd in spirit, I come, nay more, I fly
4To thee, blest place of my nativity!
5Thus, thus with hallow'd foot I touch the ground,
6With thousand blessings by thy fortune crown'd.
7O fruitful genius! that bestowest here
8An everlasting plenty, year by year.
9O place! O people! Manners! fram'd to please
10All nations, customs, kindreds, languages!
11I am a free-born Roman; suffer then
12That I amongst you live a citizen.
13London my home is, though by hard fate sent
14Into a long and irksome banishment;
15Yet since call'd back, henceforward let me be,
16O native country, repossess'd by thee!
17For, rather than I'll to the west return,
18I'll beg of thee first here to have mine urn.
19Weak I am grown, and must in short time fall;
20Give thou my sacred relics burial.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Robert Herrick, Hesperides (London: for John Williams and F. Eglesfield to be sold by Thomas Hunt, 1648), of which a section called "His Noble Numbers: or, his Pious Pieces" has a separate title-page dated 1647. Facs. edn. Menston: Scolar, 1969. PR 3512 H4 1648A ROBA
First publication date:
1648
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: 3RP 1.203-04.
Recent editing: 4:2002/2/6
Form: Couplets
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