Mine be a cot beside the hill,

A bee-hive’s hum shall sooth my ear;

A willowy brook, that turns a mill,

With many a fall shall linger near.

The swallow, oft, beneath my thatch,

Shall twitter from her clay-built nest;

Oft shall the pilgrim lift the latch,

And share my meal, a welcome guest.

Around my ivy’d porch shall spring

Each fragrant flower that drinks the dew;

And Lucy, at her wheel, shall sing

In russet gown and apron blue.

The village-church,

among the trees,

Where first our marriage-vows were giv’n,

With merry peals shall swell the breeze,

And point with taper spire to heav’n.

Summary and Analysis

“A wish” by Samuel Rogers is a sixteen line picturesque poem that eloquently portrays the romantic essence of rural life . In this poem the poet desires to have a beautiful home surrounded by nature. He masterfully uses various sound imagery throughout the poem, such as beehive’s hum , willowy brook, swallow’s twitter , Lucy’s singing ,merry peals to create this auditory landscape where he hopes to share his meal With welcome guest like the pilgrim . He wants this idealistic domestic life to come to life and become a reality. The poem concludes With the image of the village church where he takes his marriage vow . The nature along with domestic life ultimately becomes an instrument of heavenly design.

A. Comprehension:

1. What does the poet wish for in the first stanza?

The poet desires to have a home beside a hill surrounded by all the wonderful and beautiful sight and sounds of natures.

2. What does he expect the shallow to do ?

The poet expects the swallow to twitter from its clay nest built under the thatch of his home.

3. How does the poet describe the porch?

The poet gives a picturesque description of the porch. The beautiful porch is overgrown with ivy . During spring time many fragrant flower blooms there.

4. Who is the “pilgrim” referred to here ?

Here the pilgrim refers to the wanderer going to a pilgrimage maybe to the church in the village where the poet lives.