Little Trotty Wagtail, he waddled in the mud,
And left his little footmarks, trample where he would.
He waddled in the water-pudge, and waggle went his tail,
And chirrupt up his wings to dry upon the garden rail.
John Clare
John Clare (1793–1864), British poet. Little Trotty Wagtail (l. 5–8). . .
Rattle Bag, The; an Anthology of Poetry. Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes, comps. (1982) Faber and Faber.