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Poetry on YDP—by poets living and long dead, famous to completely unknown--is specially selected for accessibility and appeal. Thanks so much for visiting—and remember: a poem a day keeps the doldrums away!
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Autumn (an excerpt) by John Clare The summer-flower has run to seed,
And yellow is the woodland bough;
And every leaf of bush and weed
Is tipt with autumn's pencil now.
And I do love the varied hue,
And I do love the browning plain;
And I do love each scene to view,
That's mark'd with beauties of her reign.
The woodbine-trees red berries bear,
That clustering hang upon the bower;
While, fondly lingering here and there,
Peeps out a dwindling sickly flower.
The trees' gay leaves are turned brown,
By every little wind undress'd;
And as they flap and whistle down,
We see the birds' deserted nest.
No thrush or blackbird meets the eye,
Or fills the ear with summer's strain;
They but dart out for worm and fly,
Then silent seek their rest again.
Beside the brook, in misty blue,
Bilberries glow on tendrils weak,
Where many a bare-foot splashes through,
The pulpy, juicy prize to seek:
For 'tis the rustic boy's delight,
Now autumn's sun so warmly gleams,
And these ripe berries tempt his sight,
To dabble in the shallow streams.
And oft his rambles we may trace,
Delv'd in the mud his printing feet,
And oft we meet a chubby face
All stained with the berries sweet.
This poem is in the public domain. |
John Clare (1793 - 1864) was born to a poor, working class family in England. His life as an uneducated peasant farmer was one of constant struggle and hardships, yet his poetry is wonderfully inspiring. John was a "poetic environmentalist," in awe of the natural world, and nature is the theme of much of his work. His poetic talent earned him access to London's literary circles, though his inferior social standing kept him from ever truly joining its ranks. Tragically, John spent the last twenty years of his life in a mental asylum, though he continued to write and produce poetry that some critics laud as some of the 19th century's best work. Learn more about John Clare here.
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EstherJ:
What a sweet and expressive poem!
Posted 10/29/2024 04:55 PM
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Darrell Arnold:
The natural world is an awesome place, a place to be seen, heard, smelled, touched, and felt. Clare knew. Clare knew.
Posted 10/29/2024 08:30 AM
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JanetruthMartin:
I have always admired John Clare's keen eye to nature. this is no exception!
Posted 10/29/2014 06:17 AM
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KevinArnold:
I love the two instances of the adjective following the noun; the ending with 'berries sweet' being foreshadowed by 'tendrils weak' . . .
Posted 10/28/2014 11:25 PM
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