The Child in the Orchard
Item
Title
The Child in the Orchard
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Description
'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
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
Identifier
2984.txt
Creator
Thomas, Edward (1878-1917)
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Abstract
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'.
Date
1979
Date Created
1979-01-01
Temporal Coverage
1979-12-31
Type
Poem
Publisher
The First World War Poetry Digital Archive
