Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, ed. Poems of Places: An Anthology in 31 Volumes.
Scotland: Vols. VI–VIII. 1876–79.
Mosgiel Farm
By William Wordsworth (1770–1850)“T
Towards a low roof with green trees half concealed,
“Is Mosgiel Farm; and that ’s the very field
Where Burns ploughed up the daisy.” Far and wide
A plain below stretched seaward, while, descried
Above sea-clouds, the peaks of Arran rose;
And, by that simple notice, the repose
Of earth, sky, sea, and air was vivified.
Beneath “the random bield of clod or stone,”
Myriads of daisies have shone forth in flower
Near the lark’s nest, and in their natural hour
Have passed away; less happy than the one
That, by the unwilling ploughshare, died to prove
The tender charm of poetry and love.