John Clare: Sonnet
I love to see the summer beaming forth
And white wool sack clouds sailing to the north
I love to see the wild flowers come again
And mare blobs stain with gold the meadow drain
And water lilies whiten on the floods
Where reed clumps rustle like a wind shook wood
Where from her hiding place the Moor Hen pushes
And seeks her flag nest floating in bull rushes
I like the willow leaning half way o’er
The clear deep lake to stand upon its shore
I love the hay grass when the flower head swings
To summer winds and insects happy wings
That sport about the meadow the bright day
And see bright beetles in the clear lake play
I chose this sonnet by John Clare because it perfectly encapsulates what you might encounter on a walk during summer. Using rather simple language, Clare manages to draw a very vivid image of what summer can look like. So much so that it is almost impossible not to imagine the list of features of summer that he mentions. You may find yourself wandering along in your mind, experiencing the atmosphere Clare describes.Have a look at the poem again and pay attention to the way John Clare begins his sentences. Four lines begin with ‘I love’ or ‘I like’, five lines begin with ‘and’: He simply states that he loves summer and lists what exactly that entails. This simple approach is not limited to the content or phrasing of the sonnet. If you pay closer attention to the rhyme scheme you may notice that it is a bit unusual for a sonnet. This becomes especially apparent when you compare it to Shakespeare’s sonnet from one of our previous posts.
If you enjoy sonnets, have a look at this small exercise.
