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Sunday, June 11, 2023

To the Grasshopper and the Cricket / Leigh Hunt


To the Grasshopper and the Cricket

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 ev'n 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;

O 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 giv'n to earth
To ring in thoughtful ears this natural song —
In doors and out, summer and winter, Mirth.

~~
Leigh Hunt (1784-1859)
from Poetical Works, 1832

[Poem is in the public domain worldwide]

Leigh Hunt biography

Nayanjan1306, Katydid (Bush cricket or Long-horned grasshopper), 2015. 

See also: "On the Grasshopper and the Cricket," by John Keats

1 comment:

  1. I appreciate the grasshopper and cricket but sadly there are few in our neighborhood anymore. Perhaps chemicals used on farmland has eradicated the bulk of them. I have not seen a cricket, nor heard one in decades. And when I see a ladybug... rare too... I pick it up and place it in the flower bed or on a tree, I know they like to eat aphids but fail to see those, as well. Lovely poem of days gone by George. 💟💟💟💟💟💟

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