Here I Sit on Banks of Green Willow

So quiet, so peaceful, my life serene,
On Banks of Green Willow I sit so blessed;
I hear the stream gently trickle,
Idyllic my life, in peace I rest.

Under green willows, shady and cool,
I feel the breeze now tousle my hair;
I hear the rooks in trees above,
Idyllic my life - without a care.

What is life without repose?
As in the shade of willows green,
I ponder issues so mundane,
And dream of life as yet unseen.

Tranquil and peaceful is my dream,
So why do rooks continue to scream?

28 April 2019


The music The Banks of Green Willow (from which this poem gets its title) was composed by George Butterworth in 1913.  Born in 1885 he was Killed during the Battle of the Somme aged only 31.  This is the second of three poems based on hearing the music of George Butterworth.