This poem was first published in Poems in Wiltshire in 1911. Although Alfred calls the subject of the poem 'Herb Robin', he was almost certainly referring to a flower more commonly known as Herb Robert. blank There's a sweet little flower blooms under the shade Of the fern and the nettle in valley and glade, Such a tender wee thing nestling down in the grass, Few give it a thought as they hurriedly pass. The meadow-sweet's sweet and the willow-herb too, The pale primrose leaves and the violet blue, The fairy-white hawthorn that blushes and grows, And the ravishing buds of the wild summer rose. Ah, well! let them gather those treasures who may, I love them as deeply and truly as they; But I still fondly think of the flower of my eye, That blooms in the hedgerow so slender and shy. Far, far in the past, as a marvelling boy, I saw it with rapture and plucked it with joy, And wondered what happy distinction it bore, And loved it unknown in the seasons of yore. Long years came and went, I was drawn far away From the elm and the acorn, the poplar, and may, To toil in the midst of the shadows and glooms, Far, far from the flowering, passionate blooms. Yet still I remembered, in shadow and heat, The flower of my childhood so gentle and sweet, Half hid in the bank like a blossoming gem, With its crimsoning leaf and delicate stem. What name has my darling that blooms unawares? Nobody knows, and nobody cares! Unpraised and unsung it must flourish alone, And die unregarded, unseen and unknown. Dear little Herb Robin, though humble thy lot, Though some pass thee by thou art never forgot! I view thee with rapture through sunshine and tears, And love thee more truly each spring that appears. I see in thy petals bright visions of yore, Those wonderful years will come to me no more; Yet from me their memory will never depart, For they're sunk and embedded deep into my heart. Poems index Alphabetical list of poems online