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

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2 responses

  1. vaticanhotline Avatar
    vaticanhotline

    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.

    Liked by 1 person

  2. Tim Miller Avatar
    Tim Miller

    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

    Liked by 1 person

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#231: The mythology of the moon – Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 6/1/26: Tonight, we delve into the significance of the moon in mythology, religion, and folklore. I read from the Taschen Book of Symbols, the Penguin Dictionary of Symbols, and Mircea Eliade’s Patterns in Comparative Religion.Finally, and most personally, I read about the history of Rosh Chodesh, the monthly Jewish holiday recognizing the New Moon. For this, I read a passage from Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz’s A Guide to Jewish Prayer.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, 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.
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