Bredon Hill

XXI. Bredon Hill
by A. E. Housman (1859-1936)

In summertime on Bredon
The bells they sound so clear;
Round both the shires they ring them
In steeples far and near,
A happy noise to hear.

Here of a Sunday morning
My love and I would lie,
And see the coloured counties,
And hear the larks so high
About us in the sky.

The bells would ring to call her
In valleys miles away:
'Come to church, good people;
Good people, come and pray.'
But here my love would stay.

And I would turn and answer
Among the springing thyme,
'Oh, peal upon our wedding,
And we will hear the chime,
And come to church in time.'

But when the snows at Christmas
On Bredon top were strown,
My love rose up so early
And stole out unbeknown
And went to church alone.

They tolled the one bell only,
Groom there was none to see,
The mourners followed after,
And so to church went she,
And would not wait for me.

The bells they sound on Bredon,
And still the steeples hum.
'Come all to church, good people,' ---
Oh, noisy bells, be dumb;
I hear you, I will come.

part of the poem cycle A Shropshire Lad

Bredon Hill in Worcestershire rises in isolation out of the Vale of Evesham to some 299m/981ft above sea level

A. E. Housman

View From Bredon Hill

related internet links

Bredon Hill

a really nice entry in

Wikipedia

Stephen and Lucy Dawson

took these pictures on

Bredon Hill, and very

nice they are too.

John Moore 1907-1967

a writer long associated with

this part of then world, and

as descriptive of the landscapes

as A.E Housman

this webpage is to be found on

our The Wild Side of Life website,

our look at the natural world of

England and our relationship to it

News From Bredon

The information point for visitors

to and residents of the village of

Bredon,Worcestershire, and

surrounding hill villages.

Ralph Vaughan Williams