The Kingfisher
Original Text:
The Complete Poems of W. H. Davies, intro. by Osbert Sitwell (London: Jonathan Cape, 1963): 107. PR 6007 A8A17
1It was the Rainbow gave thee birth,
2 And left thee all her lovely hues;
3And, as her mother's name was Tears,
5For haunts the lonely pools, and keep
6In company with trees that weep.
7Go you and, with such glorious hues,
8 Live with proud Peacocks in green parks;
9On lawns as smooth as shining glass,
10 Let every feather show its marks;
11Get thee on boughs and clap thy wings
12Before the windows of proud kings.
13Nay, lovely Bird, thou art not vain;
14 Thou hast no proud, ambitious mind;
15I also love a quiet place
16 That's green, away from all mankind;
17A lonely pool, and let a tree
18Sigh with her bosom over me.
Notes
4] Starting, it seems, in Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch's 1939 edition of the poem in The Oxford Book of English Verse, 1250-1918, the line was changed from "thy blood" to "my blood." The current edition has restored the earlier version of this line. Back to Line
RPO poem Editors:
Ian Lancashire
RPO Edition:
2011
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