Nature

To the Grasshopper and the Cricket

by Leigh Hunt 1784–1859

From The Poetical Works of Leigh Hunt (1844)

NatureArts & Sciences

Green little vaulter in the sunny grass,
Catching your heart up at the feel of June,
Sole voice that 's heard amidst the lazy noon,
When even the bees lag at the summoning brass
And you, warm little housekeeper, who class
With those who think the candles come too soon,
Loving the fire, and with your tricksome tune
Nick the glad silent moments as they pass;

Oh sweet and tiny cousins, that belong,
One to the fields, the other to the hearth,
Both have your sunshine; both, though small, are strong
At your clear hearts; and both seem given to earth
To ring in thoughtful ears this natural song—
In doors and out, summer and winter, Mirth.

✦ ✦ ✦

Written in the friendly sonnet-contest in which Hunt and Keats each wrote on the same subject. Hunt's sonnet pairs the summer grasshopper with the winter cricket as two small voices of 'Mirth' who bridge the seasons.

MLA

Hunt, Leigh. “To the Grasshopper and the Cricket.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/hunt/3/.

Chicago

Hunt, Leigh. “To the Grasshopper and the Cricket.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/hunt/3/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

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