John Clare is one of the best poets of the eighteenth century who have written short poems. These are famous because it is Clare’s style of writing that other poets also followed.
“To John Clare” is another poem by John Clare that probably addresses himself by that. The title of the poem also suggests that John Clare made an ode.
Table of Contents
Summary
The poem begins with a line where he asks himself by calling himself ‘honest’ and how he is enjoying his day by sitting at home. So this is talking about a season that is beautiful and Clare himself tells about his passing days.
The season of spring’ has come and it is an amazing time when the birds are making nests from the beginning.
Quotes of the Poem To John Clare
“The old cock-robin to the sty comes,
With olive feathers and its ruddy breast;
And the old cock, with wattles and red comb,
Struts with the hens, and seems to like some best,”
In the next line, Clare states that the old cock named Robin has also come it has olive feathers and also its breast consists of feathers and looks ruddy. These all are the descriptions of the old cock Robin that has also a red comb on its head and wattles.
This old cock is struts with the hens and it seems best among them all. So, the connection between season and cock is not primarily connected. The poet uses this old cock as a component of Spring.
“Then crows, and looks about for little crumbs,
Swept out by little folks an hour ago;
The pigs sleep in the sty; the bookman comes—
The little boy lets home-close nesting go,”
Then the poet suddenly goes to the crows who are looking for the little crumbs because they will eat this. But these corns or the crumbs are already washed by the little children before an hour and that is why no food is left there.
The pigs are also sleeping in their nest of in their houses in the midday. The little boys that have washed the crumbs also closed the doors of the house probably to go to play.
This is how the poem is processing. He tells these all things to himself probably to shake himself.
“And pockets tops and taws, where daisies blow,
To look at the new number just laid down,
With lots of pictures, and good stories too,
And Jack the Giant-killer’s high renown.”
And their pockets are getting filled with tops and taws where the daisies will blow. To see a new number they just laid on the ground, there were many good pictures and stories that the children loved so much.
There is also the story of Jack, the giant killer who killed many people. So, these all acts are very childish and the meaning is very prominent and clear.
Analysis
The title of the poem addresses that this poem will tell something about the poet. But not that, here he tells the readers about the season and the seasonal animals.
First, he takes the name of birds that made their nests then writes on the pigs that are sleeping in the afternoon. Later he takes the name of the cock with its red comb.
So, these all are written to show an expression of the season that is looking extremely good.
Theme
The main theme of the poem is a season. John Clare wakes himself by giving descriptions of the season and the beautiful world. But in the meantime, Clare is wasting his days by sitting on the bed. Poet’s motive is to wake himself and rouse him with charm.
Literary Devices
Literary devices are the most significant and interesting part of the poem. Literary devices work as rhetoric as it consists of many intelligent uses of words.
The rhyming scheme also comes as a part of the poem. Here John Clare uses a device that is “ababcdcd”. The whole poem follows this pattern.
Alliteration is a literary device that means the repetition of the same sound used in a single line like,
“birds are building nests”
Here, the ‘B’ sound is being repeated twice in the line.
Then comes anaphora as a device that refers to the repetition of a world or phrase in the starting of two lines, one after another like,
“The pigs sleep in the sty; the bookman comes—
The little boy lets home-close”
Imagery is a common literary device that is a writing style in that the poet opens an image in front of the readers.
Symbolism is also a literary device that is being used to the state of another thing. Here, Clare uses season to express the animals. So, these are major factors about the poem that makes the poem successful.