HILAIRE BELLOC
THE SOUTH COUNTRY
I am living in the Midlands
That are sodden and unkind,
I light my lamp in the evening:
My work is left behind;
And the great hills of the South Country 5
Come back into my mind.
The great hills of the South Country
They stand along the sea;
And it's there walking in the high woods 10
. That I could wish to be,
And the men that were boys when I was a boy
Walking along with me.
The men that live in North England
I saw them for a day:
Their hearts are set upon the waste fells, 15
Their skies are fast and grey;
From their castle-walls a man may see
The mountains far away.
The men that live in West England
They see the Severn strong,
A-rolling on rough water brown 20
Light aspen leaves along.
They have the secret of the Rocks,
And the oldest kind of song.
But the men that live in the South Country ' 25
Are the kindest and most wise,
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