| A. E. Housman (1859–1936). A Shropshire Lad. 1896. |
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| XXVI. Along the field as we came by |
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| ALONG the field as we came by | |
| A year ago, my love and I, | |
| The aspen over stile and stone | |
| Was talking to itself alone. | |
| ‘Oh who are these that kiss and pass? | 5 |
| A country lover and his lass; | |
| Two lovers looking to be wed; | |
| And time shall put them both to bed, | |
| But she shall lie with earth above, | |
| And he beside another love.’ | 10 |
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| And sure enough beneath the tree | |
| There walks another love with me, | |
| And overhead the aspen heaves | |
| Its rainy-sounding silver leaves; | |
| And I spell nothing in their stir, | 15 |
| But now perhaps they speak to her, | |
| And plain for her to understand | |
| They talk about a time at hand | |
| When I shall sleep with clover clad, | |
| And she beside another lad. | 20 |
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