Prefaces and Appendices
THE
FARMER’S BOY;
A RURAL POEM,
IN FOUR BOOKS
BY
ROBERT BLOOMFIELD.
‘A Shepherd’s Boy....he seeks no better name.’
With Ornaments engraved in Wood by Anderson.
LONDON:
ON SEEING THE LAUNCH OF THE BOYNE (1791)
ON SEEING THE LAUNCH OF THE BOYNE (1791)
(1)
Sent by Bloomfield in a letter to his father-in-law, Joseph Church , who worked in
Woolwich shipyard. Letter 4, 28 December [17]91.
Woolwich shipyard. Letter 4, 28 December [17]91.
THE SOLDIER’S RETURN (1786)
THE SOLDIER’S RETURN (1786)
(1)
Lines 13–21 from this piece were included by Capel Lofft in the Supplement to the
2nd edn of The Farmer’s Boy, where he remarked: ‘I think every Reader will be of opinion
2nd edn of The Farmer’s Boy, where he remarked: ‘I think every Reader will be of opinion
AN HARVEST SCENE (1786)
AN HARVEST SCENE (1786)
(1)
Lines 28–35 from this poem were published by Capel Lofft (‘with a slight correction
in a place or two where the distribution or mechanism of the lines was not exact’)
in a place or two where the distribution or mechanism of the lines was not exact’)
A VILLAGE GIRL (1786)
A VILLAGE GIRL (1786)
(1)
This poem was first included in the preface to The Farmer’s Boy (with the title ‘The
Milk-Maid. On the First of May’) as a specimen of Bloomfield’s earliest attempts at
Milk-Maid. On the First of May’) as a specimen of Bloomfield’s earliest attempts at