Fugitive Poetry. 1600–1878/On a Farmer

From a Gravestone in The Churchyard of Dinton, Near Aylesbury.

On a Farmer.

I've ploughed my land and sown it too;I've cleaned it, dressed, and drained it through.My landlord sends me word to quit:To him in duty I submit.He bids me seek another soilIn pastures green and free from toil,And tells me through His Son to standThe occupant of better land,No matter whether clay or sand.At first I thought it hard to leave;My heart's now changed; I cease to grieve.In Christ's my faith; I hope to rise,And reap my harvest in the skies.