
Wishing all Cambridge online resource users and Cambridge’s amazing librarians a Very Happy Christmas, and a Christmas Robin, courtesy of John Clare:
Here the wood robin rustling on the leaves
With fluttering step each visitor receives
Yet from his ancient home he seldom stirs
In heart content on these dead teazle burs
He sits and trembles oer his under notes
So rich – joy almost choaks his little throat
With extacy and from his own heart flows
That joy himself and partner only knows
He seems to have small fear but hops and comes
Close to ones feet as if he looked for crumbs
And when the woodman strinkles some around
He leaves the twig and hops upon the ground
And feeds untill his little daintys cloy
Then claps his little wings and sings for joy
And when in woodland solitudes I wend
I always hail him as my hermit friend
And naturally enough whenere they come
Before me search my pockets for a crumb
At which he turns his eye and seems to stand
As if expecting something from my hand
And thus these feathered heirs of solitude
Remain the tenants of this quiet wood
And live in melody and make their home
And never seem to have a wish to roam