W.H. Davies - The Kingfisher' - poem

The Kingfisher' -poem W.H. Davies
read by Sian Phillips

IT was the Rainbow gave thee birth,
And left thee all her lovely hues;
And, as her mother's name was Tears,
So runs it in my blood to choose
For haunts the lonely pools, and keep
In company with trees that weep.
Go you and, with such glorious hues,
Live with proud peacocks in green parks;
On lawns as smooth as shining glass,
Let every feather show its marks;
Get thee on boughs and clap thy wings
Before the windows of proud kings.
Nay, lovely Bird, thou art not vain;
Thou hast no proud, ambitious mind;
I also love a quiet place
That's green, away from all mankind;
A lonely pool, and let a tree
Sigh with her bosom over me.


Audio created by Robert Nichol AudioProductions
London 2000 all rights reserved

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[griffcats]

Superbly done, thank you

[BillynBertie]

In line 4, it should be 'so runs it in THY blood' not MY blood. Refer to the New Oxford Book of English Verse, ed. Helen Gardner, to see this is the case. It also makes far more sense. I notice the version with 'my' is a common mistake made on the Internet sites. Perhaps someone has an original edition of Davies' poems and can confirm this once and for all.

[lovetheatre100]

I love this poem, I'm learning to recite this.

[cntlaw]

Thank you.

[ZenSporty]

What a rich reading; lovely poem. I am tearing up with joy. Thank you.