All winter through I bow my head
beneath the driving rain;
the North Wind powders me with snow
and blows me black again;
at midnight 'neath a maze of stars
I flame with glittering rime,
and stand above the stubble, stiff
as mail at morning-prime.
But when that child called Spring, and all
his host of children come,
scattering their buds and dew upon
these acres of my home,
some rapture in my rags awakes;
I lift void eyes and scan
the sky for crows, those ravening foes,
of my strange master, Man.
I watch him striding lank behind
his clashing team, and know
soon will the wheat swish body high
where once lay a sterile snow;
soon I shall gaze across a sea
of sun-begotten grain,
which my unflinching watch hath sealed
for harvest once again.
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this was my favourite poem at school and i am so pleased to see it again.i recited this poem at my school speach night 55 years ago and never forgot it.
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the scarecrow
From guest karen g (contact)
this was my favorite poem as a child.I've been looking for it for ages but i could not remember who it was by. -
scarecrow
From guest j Lake (contact)
wonderful to find this poem that I learned at school so many years ago !!! I can now print it out and read it from time to time. -
scarecrow
From guest A. Cove (contact)
I too learned this poem at school in the 50s but could only remember the first four lines. Couldn't recall the author either. I was so amazed,and pleased to find it so easily on the internet. Other things like that I've searched for have taken much longer and didn't always produce a result. I did manged to find Old Meg, and toe versions of The Donkey. The one I was after was actually written by G.K. Chesterton and not by Walter de la Mare as I had thought. It's strange how these things keep buzzing round in ones head year after year isn't it? -
Mail at morning prime?
From guest David Baril (contact)
p.s. Does anyone have any idea what the phrase "mail at morning prime" alludes to? I'm afraid it has always conjured up for me a somewhat prurient image involving a quite different spelling of the word "mail". -
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My interpretation is a military / religious reference.
Mail I assume to refer to armour (cf chain mail) which would stand rigid even when unoccupied and morning prime was a daily church service that used to occur at 06:00 daily.
A knight in armour would perforce have to stand erect at his morning prayers since kneeling in armour was difficult.
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The Scarecrow
From guest David Baril (contact)
This has been one of my favourite "party pieces" for many years. I think it was in our high school poetry anthology and for some reason I memorized and it stuck. Does anyone know what collection of de la Mare's poetry it is published in? -
the scarecrow
From guest debra22deats (contact)
if only we spread the jewels of our language as did de la Mare and his kin, we'd yet have a booty to boast,eh? Alas, our children would nor could take in the treasures for their senses are dimmed by din and be blinded by the sparkle... -
The Scarecrow
From guest Gay Stedman-Scott (contact)
I too learned this poem by heart when at junior school in the early 1950s. I am delighted (and somewhat surprised) to see that I remember every word. During our English lesson we were asked to interpret the meanings of lines and at the time I remember well "the North Wind powers me with snow, and blows me black again" and thinking how cold he must have been. Then you get the lovely soft lines about "that child called Spring and all his host of children". Now that I am so much older, how I appreciate Spring time scattering the buds and dew. -
The Scarecrow
From guest Bernard Jampsin (contact)
I am awfully sorry! I am the one who told you, in Spet. 2004, to replace "lank" by "lang" in the poem. I was wrong (My excuse is that I lost the book where the poem appeared some 50 years ago and knew it only by memory). I have now found (at last!) a written version, and the correct word is definitely "lank", as you wrote it. Anyway, I spotted two errors in the present version on your site (I hope I am right this time!) 1. The two comas after "when that child" should be removed, 2. "I watch him striding lank behind" should stand as a separate line. Truly yours Bernard Jampsin -
Scarecrow.
From guest Ruby Gill (contact)
It is not the one I was looking for, but it is lovely anyway. -
From guest Trisha Tilly (contact)
Thabk you so much for putting this on the web. I too learnt it when I was about ten and have wanted to check my memory for years, but could not find it in any books. My memory was remarkably good, I had forgotten the word "powders" (I had put in the word splatters)I remember the 4th last line being "soon shall I gaze" and the 5th last line "where once lay sterile snow" -
excellent
I have always loved this poem from childhood. It is still as special today as all those years ago.Lines 16, 17, 18, 19, create such wonderfull imagery .Being a lover of nature this is still one of my most favourites.. -
I remember well the Scarecrows of my childhood, they were a constant source of amusement and adored a children show on British TV with a Scarecrow as its central character. Tthis poem from the perspective of this man-made crow scarer is beautifully written and gives character to an old coat, hat and straw. Amazing.
Von -
I am french and learned english in college. This poem was one of the first I had to learn by heart. It was 58 years ago but I still remember it. May I suggest that some errors have been introduced in the present presentation:
1. Blows me black again (instead of back)
2. neath a maze of stars (instead of in a maze
3. ...scan the sky for crows (instead of the skies fro..)
4 where once lay a sterile snow (add an "a" between lay and sterile).
Am I rigth?
Thank you for putting this poem on the web. I have lost long ago my college books and I looked for years for this poem which is one of the sweet remembrances of my youth.
Bernard Jampsin
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