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Tall Nettles
Read by Helen Thomas
Tall Nettles - Edward Thomas - Read by Helen Thomas
We are very pleased to be able to include remarkable recordings, made long after Thomas's death by the poet's widow, Helen Thomas. In Edward Thomas's memory, the Poetry Archive will donate 60% of the proceeds from sales of these recordings to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission.
Tall Nettles
Tall nettles cover up, as they have done
These many springs, the rusty harrow, the plough
Long worn out, and the roller made of stone:
Only the elm butt tops the nettles now.
These many springs, the rusty harrow, the plough
Long worn out, and the roller made of stone:
Only the elm butt tops the nettles now.
This corner of the farmyard I like most:
As well as any bloom upon a flower
I like the dust on the nettles, never lost
Except to prove the sweetness of a shower.
As well as any bloom upon a flower
I like the dust on the nettles, never lost
Except to prove the sweetness of a shower.
from Collected Poems (Faber, 2004); recording by Helen Thomas used by permission of the Edward Thomas Fellowship.