The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 1 (of 8)

Name: The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 1 (of 8)
Author: Wordsworth, William

Wordsworth, William

English poetry -- 18th century; English poetry -- 19th century

He went complaining all the morrow                           105
  That he was cold and very chill:
  His face was gloom, his heart was sorrow,
  Alas! that day for Harry Gill!
  That day he wore a riding-coat,
  But not a whit the warmer he:                                110
  Another was on Thursday brought,
  And ere the Sabbath he had three.

  'Twas all in vain, a useless matter,
  And blankets were about him pinned;
  Yet still his jaws and teeth they clatter,                   115
  Like a loose casement in the wind.
  And Harry's flesh it fell away;
  And all who see him say, 'tis plain
  That, live as long as live he may,
  He never will be warm again.                                 120

  No word to any man he utters,
  A-bed or up, to young or old;
  But ever to himself he mutters,
  "Poor Harry Gill is very cold."
  A-bed or up, by night or day;                                125
  His teeth they chatter, chatter still.
  Now think, ye farmers all, I pray,
  Of Goody Blake and Harry Gill! [A]

       *       *       *       *       *

VARIANTS ON THE TEXT

[Variant 1:

1802.

    Auld    1798.]

[Variant 2:

1836

   --This woman dwelt in Dorsetshire,
    Her hut was on a cold hill-side,
    And in that country coals are dear,
    For they come far by wind and tide.       1798.

    Remote from sheltering village green,
    Upon a bleak hill-side, she dwelt,
    Where from sea-blasts the hawthorns lean,
    And hoary dews are slow to melt.          1820.

    On a hill's northern side she dwelt.      1827.]

[Variant 3.

1820.

    ... dwelt ...           1798.]

[Variant 4.

1827.

    ... wood ...             1798]

[Variant 5.

1836.

    And ...                  1798.]

[Variant 6.

1827.

    The bye-road ...         1798.]

       *       *       *       *       *

FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT

[Footnote A: Compare the many entries about "gathering sticks" in the
Alfoxden woods, in Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal.--Ed.]

       *       *       *       *       *

HER EYES ARE WILD

Composed 1798.--Published 1798.

  [Written at Alfoxden. The subject was reported to me by a lady of
  Bristol, who had seen the poor creature.--I. F.]

From 1798 to 1805 this poem was published under the title of 'The Mad
Mother'.

In the editions of 1815 and 1820 it was ranked as one of the "Poems
founded on the Affections." In the editions of 1827 and 1832, it was
classed as one of the "Poems of the Imagination." In 1836 and
afterwards, it was replaced among the "Poems founded on the
Affections."--Ed.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 1 (of 8)Wordsworth, William

General

The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 1 (of 8)

Wordsworth, William

English poetry -- 18th century; English poetry -- 19th century

He went complaining all the morrow                           105
  That he was cold and very chill:
  His face was gloom, his heart was sorrow,
  Alas! that day for Harry Gill!
  That day he wore a riding-coat,
  But not a whit the warmer he:                                110
  Another was on Thursday brought,
  And ere the Sabbath he had three.

  'Twas all in vain, a useless matter,
  And blankets were about him pinned;
  Yet still his jaws and teeth they clatter,                   115
  Like a loose casement in the wind.
  And Harry's flesh it fell away;
  And all who see him say, 'tis plain
  That, live as long as live he may,
  He never will be warm again.                                 120

  No word to any man he utters,
  A-bed or up, to young or old;
  But ever to himself he mutters,
  "Poor Harry Gill is very cold."
  A-bed or up, by night or day;                                125
  His teeth they chatter, chatter still.
  Now think, ye farmers all, I pray,
  Of Goody Blake and Harry Gill! [A]

       *       *       *       *       *

VARIANTS ON THE TEXT

[Variant 1:

1802.

    Auld    1798.]

[Variant 2:

1836

   --This woman dwelt in Dorsetshire,
    Her hut was on a cold hill-side,
    And in that country coals are dear,
    For they come far by wind and tide.       1798.

    Remote from sheltering village green,
    Upon a bleak hill-side, she dwelt,
    Where from sea-blasts the hawthorns lean,
    And hoary dews are slow to melt.          1820.

    On a hill's northern side she dwelt.      1827.]

[Variant 3.

1820.

    ... dwelt ...           1798.]

[Variant 4.

1827.

    ... wood ...             1798]

[Variant 5.

1836.

    And ...                  1798.]

[Variant 6.

1827.

    The bye-road ...         1798.]

       *       *       *       *       *

FOOTNOTE ON THE TEXT

[Footnote A: Compare the many entries about "gathering sticks" in the
Alfoxden woods, in Dorothy Wordsworth's Journal.--Ed.]

       *       *       *       *       *

HER EYES ARE WILD

Composed 1798.--Published 1798.

  [Written at Alfoxden. The subject was reported to me by a lady of
  Bristol, who had seen the poor creature.--I. F.]

From 1798 to 1805 this poem was published under the title of 'The Mad
Mother'.

In the editions of 1815 and 1820 it was ranked as one of the "Poems
founded on the Affections." In the editions of 1827 and 1832, it was
classed as one of the "Poems of the Imagination." In 1836 and
afterwards, it was replaced among the "Poems founded on the
Affections."--Ed.

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 1 (of 8)

The Poetical Works of William Wordsworth — Volume 1 (of 8)

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