SAND MARTIN John Clare c. 1832(?); p. 1835 =================================== Thou hermit hunter of the lonely glen And common wild and heath--the desolate face of rude waste landscapes far away from men Where frequent quarrys give thee dwelling place With strangest taste and labour undeterred Drilling small holes along the quarrys side More like the haunts of vermin than of bird And seldom by the nesting boy descried Ive seen thee far away from all thy tribe Flirting about the unfrequented sky And felt a feeling that i cant describe Of lone seclusion and a hermit joy To see thee circle round nor go beyond That lone heath and its melancholly pond ======== ========