John Clare, “Mouse’s Nest”

I found a ball of grass among the hay 
And progged it as I passed and went away;
And when I looked I fancied something stirred, 
And turned again and hoped to catch the bird – 
When out an old mouse bolted in the wheats
With all her young ones hanging at her teats; 
She looked so odd and so grotesque to me, 
I ran and wondered what the thing could be, 
And pushed the knapweed bunches where I stood; 
Then the mouse hurried from the craking brood. 
The young ones squeaked, and as I went away 
She found her nest again among the hay. 
The water o’er the pebbles scarce could run 
And broad old cesspools glittered in the sun.

John Clare, 1793-1864 – “Mouse’s Nest” from Major Works

19th Century, Animals, British Poetry, Daily Poems, John Clare, Nature

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2 responses

vaticanhotline

May 10, 2024 at 5:27 am

There was a great episode on John Clare on the BBC show “In Our Time” some time ago. It’s also available as a podcast. I found it very informative, especially since I knew nothing about the man at the time.

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Tim Miller

May 10, 2024 at 8:44 am

thanks for this! I’ve just dropped that episode beneath the poem. In Our Time is one of my favorites… a show that American public radio has no equivalent of, sadly

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#217: Voices from 1900-1914 – Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 1/2/23: Tonight, I read a handful of voices from those living in Europe and the United States between 1900 and 1914. Rephrased only slightly, nearly all of their concerns (over technology, gender, nationalism, war, eugenics) feel like they could appear in the news or on the street today. Then and now, what is actually going on alongside all the dread? What can we learn from these voices that sound so much like our own, and what will people look back on 2023 learn for themselves?Each of these quotations can be found in Philipp Blom’s wonderful book, The Vertigo Years.The best way to support the podcast is by leaving a review on Apple or Spotify, sharing it with others, or sending me a note on what you think. You can also order any of my books: Time and the River: From Columbine to the Invention of Fire, due out next year, is now available for preorder. Other books include Notes from the Grid, To the House of the Sun, The Lonely Young & the Lonely Old, and Bone Antler Stone. I've also edited a handful of books in the S4N Pocket Poems series. I also have a YouTube channel where I share poems and excerpts from these books, mostly as YouTube shorts.Email me at humanvoiceswakeus1@gmail.com.

John Clare, “Mouse’s Nest”

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#217: Voices from 1900-1914 – Human Voices Wake Us

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