Little Trotty Wagtail

John Clare 1793 (Helpston) – 1864 (St Andrew's Hospital)



Little trotty wagtail he went in the rain,
And tittering, tottering sideways he neer got straight again,
He stooped to get a worm, and looked up to get a fly,
And then he flew away ere his feathers they were dry.

Little trotty wagtail, he waddled in the mud,
And left his little footmarks, trample where he would.
He waddled in the water-pudge, and waggle went his tail,
And chirrupt up his wings to dry upon the garden rail.

Little trotty wagtail, you nimble all about,
And in the dimpling water-pudge you waddle in and out;
Your home is nigh at hand, and in the warm pig-stye,
So, little Master Wagtail, I'll bid you a good-bye.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on April 26, 2023

35 sec read
79

Quick analysis:

Scheme XXAA XXBB CCXA
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 627
Words 118
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 4, 4, 4

John Clare

John Clare was an English poet in his time he was commonly known as the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet more…

All John Clare poems | John Clare Books

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