Richard Church: Poems Glossary

Richard Church: Poems Glossary

vesper-bird

a bird who sings in the evening (from "vesper," an archaic term meaning "evening")

hyacinth

a bell-shaped flower, typically of light purplish-blue color

tillage

the preparation of land for growing crops

throstle

an old British term for the song thrush (a type of bird)

ploughshare

the primary blade of a plough (plow) that digs into the ground as it passes

furrows

long trenches carved into the ground, often by a ploughshare

yew

a type of tree, linked in mythology and superstition to long life and mystery

heath

an area of land that is uncultivated, especially in England

verdure

deep, strikingly green vegetation

aforetime

an archaic adverb meaning "previously" or "before this time"

Demeter

The ancient Greek goddess of harvest and agriculture, whose pleasure is mythologically linked to the Earth's fertility

burgeon

to flourish, grow rapidly

fitfully

in an irregular or spasmodic manner

undulation

the regular rising and falling of something

ethereal

supernaturally graceful and delicate

tether

(in this instance) the state of being constrained by a rope or chain

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