John Keats: Collected Lyrics
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Public-domain lyrics

Written in Devonshire

John Keats

“Written in Devonshire” as printed in The Poetical Works of John Keats (1884).

John Keats: Collected Lyrics Text 66 1884 · historical text
Public domainSong lyricsRomantic
Complete public-domain lyrics

This text comes from The Poetical Works of John Keats, a historical songbook transcribed on Wikisource and reproduced from the pinned revision linked below.

Verse 1

Here all the summer I could stay,

For there's a Bishop's Teign,

And King's Teign,

And Coomb at the clear Teign's head;

Where, close by the stream.

You may have your cream,

All spread upon barley bread.

Verse 2

There's Arch Brook,

And there's Larch Brook,—

Both turning many a mill;

And cooling the drouth

Of the salmon's mouth,

And fattening his silver gill.

Verse 3

There's a wild wood,

A mild hood,

Verse 4

To the sheep on the lea o' the down;

Where the golden furze,

With its green, thin spurs,

Doth catch at the maiden's gown.

Verse 5

There's Newton Marsh,

With its spear-grass harsh,—

A pleasant summer level;

Where the maidens sweet

Of the Market street,

Do meet in the dark to revel.

Verse 6

There's Barton rich,

With dyke and ditch,

Add hedge for the thrush to live in;

And the hollow tree,

For the buzzing bee,

And a bank for the wasp to hive in.

Verse 7

And O and O,

The daisies blow.

And the primroses are wakened;

And the violets white

Sit in silver light,

And the green buds are long iti the spike end.

Verse 8

Then who would go

Into dark Soho,

Verse 9

And chatter with dank-haired critics,

When he can stay

For the new-mown hay,

And startle the dappled crickets?

Credits

Written by John Keats

Words by John Keats. Historical text published in The Poetical Works of John Keats (1884); public domain. No claim to a modern recording or arrangement.

Source & text edition

The Poetical Works of John Keats (1884), “Written in Devonshire”

Every text in this 1884 collected edition is by John Keats (1795-1821), who died more than 200 years ago, so the text is in the public domain worldwide; the edition carries a Wikisource PD-old determination.

How to read this historical text and its source

Read the source on Wikisource

View copyright evidence · Transcription terms (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Retrieved 2026-10-27. Line spacing and section labels are adapted for reading. The displayed text follows the linked edition. Editorial notes and abstract artwork are by 52lyrics.
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