The Green Tent

The Green Tent written by William Henry Davies

From "Farewell to Poesy", 1910

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Summer has spread a cool, green tent
  Upon the bare poles of this tree;
Where 'tis a joy to sit all day,
  And hear the small birds' melody;
To see the sheep stand bolt upright,
  Nibbling at grass almost their height.

And much I marvel now how men
  Can waste their fleeting days in greed;
That one man should desire more gold
  Than twenty men should truly need;
For is not this green tent more sweet
  Than any chamber of the great?

This tent, at which I spend my day,
  Was made at Nature's cost, not mine;
And when night comes, and I must sleep,
  No matter if my room be fine
Or common, for Content and Health
  Can sleep without the power of Wealth.

This work is in the public domain in countries where the copyright term is the author's life plus 70 years or less.