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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#228 – What Ted Bundy did on July 14, 1974 – Human Voices Wake Us

An episode from 5/4/26: Tonight, I read the story of the French journalist Jean-Paul Kauffmann and his capture and three year captivity at the hands of Hezbollah. While held prisoner, he was given many books to read to pass the time, and what I share comes from the spy novelist John le Carré’s memoir, The Pigeon Tunnel: Stories from My Life.Next, I read from Caroline Fraser’s Murderland: Crime and Bloodlust in the Time of Serial Killers. As I say, ever since listening to the audiobook I’ve come to think that there are true crime books, and then there is Fraser’s book: for those who can stomach this kind of material, it is essential. I read the pages describing Ted Bundy’s kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder of Janice Ott and Denise Naslund on the same day—July 14, 1974—from Lake Sammamish State Park in Washington.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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