John Clare was a Romantic poet who died in 1864. His work is well-regarded for his depictions of the English countryside, childhood, and his own suffering. Clare lived during a period of change in England, specifically the Agricultural revolution. His work is also known for its depth and thoughtfulness. Read more of John Clare’s Biography.
‘Emmonsail’s Heath in Winter’ by John Clare is a beautiful nature poem that describes a specific area in Northamptonshire in winter. The poem focuses on plants and birds.
I love to see the old heath's withered brake
Mingle its crimpled leaves with furze and ling,
While the old heron from the lonely lake
Starts slow and flaps his melancholy wing,
‘First Love’ by John Clare describes the sudden, overwhelming love a speaker feels for a woman he is seeing for the first time.
‘I Am!’ by John Clare is a powerful poem about a speaker’s struggle with depression, loneliness, and a desire to find peace in Heaven.
‘The Badger’ by John Clare is a narrative poem that portrays the cruelty and danger that animals face in the natural world.
When midnight comes a host of dogs and men
Go out and track the badger to his den,
And put a sack within the hole, and lie
Till the old grunting badger passes by.
‘The Dying Child’ describes a child who is unable to die during springtime but unfortunately, whose circumstances change when winter comes.
‘The Secret’, a poem by the English poet John Clare speaks on a speaker’s secrecy of feelings concerning a lady. This piece glorifies the beauty of the lady and the speaker’s dedication to her.
‘The Yellowhammer’s Nest’ by John Clare describes the beautiful and brutal world in which a yellowhammer makes its nest and lays its eggs.
Just by the wooden brig a bird flew up,
Frit by the cowboy as he scrambled down
To reach the misty dewberry—let us stoop
And seek its nest—the brook we need not dread,
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