Nature

Sonnet: Porlock, thy verdant vale so fair to sight

by Robert Southey 1774–1843

From Poetical Works (1845)

Nature

Porlock, thy verdant vale so fair to sight,
Thy lofty hills which fern and furze embrown,
The waters that roll musically down
Thy woody glens, the traveller with delight
Recalls to memory, and the channel gray
Circling its surges in thy level bay.
Porlock, I also shall forget thee not,
Here by the unwelcome summer rain confined ;
But often shall hereafter call to mind
How here, a patient prisoner, 'twas my lot
To wear the lonely, lingering close of day,
Making my Sonnet by the alehouse fire.
Whilst Idleness and Solitude inspire
Dull rhymes to pass the duller hours away.

MLA

Southey, Robert. “Sonnet: Porlock, thy verdant vale so fair to sight.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/southey/87/.

Chicago

Southey, Robert. “Sonnet: Porlock, thy verdant vale so fair to sight.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/southey/87/.

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