In Valleys of Springs and Rivers

A. E. HousmanA. E. Housman

1 min read · 12.4K reads

"Clunton and Clunbury,
Clungunford and Clun,
Are the quietest places
Under the sun."
In valleys of springs and rivers,
By Ony and Teme and Clun,
The country for easy livers,
The quietest under the sun, We still had sorrows to lighten,
One could not be always glad,
And lads knew trouble at Knighton
When I was a Knighton lad. By bridges that Thames runs under,
In London, the town built ill,
'Tis sure small matter for wonder
If sorrow is with one still. And if as a lad grows older
The troubles he bears are more,
He carries his griefs on a shoulder
That handselled them long before. Where shall one halt to deliver
This luggage I'd lief set down?
Not Thames, not Teme is the river,
Nor London nor Knighton the town: 'Tis a long way further than Knighton,
A quieter place than Clun,
Where doomsday may thunder and lighten
And little 'twill matter to one.
A. E. Housman
About the poet

A. E. Housman

1859 - 1936/EnglishAlfred Edward Housman, usually known as A. E. Housman, was an English classical scholar and poet, best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad. Lyrical and almost epigrammatic in form, the poems were mostly written before 1900. Their…

View profile & all 50 Poems / Stories

More Poetry & Stories You May Like