John Clare - To A Fallen Elm lyrics

1 Old elm that murmured in our chimney top 2 The sweetest anthem autumn ever made 3 & into mellow whispering calms would drop 4 When showers fell on thy many coloured shade 5 & when dark tempests mimic thunder made 6 While darkness came as it would strangle light 7 With the black tempest of a winter night 8 That rocked thee like a cradle to thy root 9 How did I love to hear the winds upbraid 10 Thy strength without—while all within was mute 11 It seasoned comfort to our hearts desire 12 We felt thy kind protection like a friend 13 & edged our chairs up closer to the fire 14 Enjoying comforts that was never penned 15 Old favourite tree thoust seen times changes lower 16 Though change till now did never injure thee 17 For time beheld thee as her sacred dower 18 & nature claimed thee her domestic tree 19 Storms came & shook thee many a weary hour 20 Yet stedfast to thy home thy roots hath been 21 Summers of thirst parched round thy homely bower 22 Till earth grew iron—still thy leaves was green 23 The childern sought thee in thy summer shade 24 & made their play house rings of sticks & stone 25 The mavis sang & felt himself alone 26 While in thy leaves his early nest was made 27 & I did feel his happiness mine own 28 Nought heeding that our friendship was betrayed 29 Friend not inanimate—though stocks & stones 30 There are & many formed of flesh & bones 31 Thou owned a language by which hearts are stirred 32 Deeper then by a feeling cloathed in words 33 & speakest now whats known of every tongue 34 Language of pity & the force of wrong 35 What cant a**umes what hypocrites will dare 36 Speaks home to truth & shows it what they are 37 I see a picture which thy fate displays 38 & learn a lesson from thy destiny 39 Self interest saw thee stand in freedoms ways 40 So thy old shadow must a tyrant be 41 Thoust heard the knave abusing those in power 42 Bawl freedom loud & then opress the free 43 Thoust sheltered hypocrites in many a shower 44 That when in power would never shelter thee 45 Thoust heard the knave supply his canting powers 46 With wrongs illusions when he wanted friends 47 That bawled for shelter when he lived in showers 48 & when clouds vanished made thy shade amends 49 With axe at root he felled thee to the ground 50 & barked of freedom—O I hate the sound 51 Time hears its visions speak & age sublime 52 Had made thee a deciple unto time 53 —It grows the cant term of enslaving tools 54 To wrong another by the name of right 55 It grows the liscence of oerbearing fools 56 To cheat plain honesty by force of might 57 Thus came enclosure—ruin was its guide 58 But freedoms clapping hands enjoyed the sight 59 Though comforts cottage soon was thrust aside 60 & workhouse prisons raised upon the scite 61 Een natures dwellings far away from men 62 The common heath became the spoilers prey 63 The rabbit had not where to make his den 64 & labours only cow was drove away 65 No matter—wrong was right & right was wrong 66 & freedoms bawl was sanction to the song 67 —Such was thy ruin music making elm 68 The rights of freedom was to injure thine 69 As thou wert served so would they overwhelm 70 In freedoms name the little that is mine 71 & there are knaves that brawl for better laws 72 & cant of tyranny in stronger powers 73 Who glut their vile unsatiated maws 74 & freedoms birthright from the weak devours