I Love to see the Summer by John Clare

One of my favourite poems has to be ‘ I Love to see the Summer’ by John Clare.

Written in sonnet form, first person and with such a simple style, it sums up the season for me. It captures the simplicity and joy of the natural world; a natural world where you can access so much for free and I believe that it is this natural world that gladdens one’s heart and freshens one’s soul.

Here it is, in all of its simplicity:


I Love to see the Summer by John Clare

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

Simple yes, but it says it all without being flowery or pretentious. 

I’m used to analysing poetry with pupils and this one offers such a lot; although to ‘pick it to pieces‘ is not really what I’m about in this blog post. However, if you want an uncomplicated poem to use with a student, then look no further!

Here’s a snippet of information re the poet. It’s quite sad to think that John Clare was so troubled towards the end if his life. I can only hope that he was comforted by nature. At least he’s brought joy to others with his poetry. 

John Clare (1793-1864) was born in the Northamptonshire village of Helpston and attended school there until he was around eleven years old after which he was largely self-taught. Clare’s first book of poetry, Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery(1820), was well-received, and his work was extremely popular with the public. In the 1830s, however, his popularity faded — a problem his publishers tried to correct by standardizing his verses into what they considered to be more contemporary poetic conventions. Clare wrote this Sonnet in 1841, the year before he was confined in the Northampton County Asylum where he spent the rest of his life.

 (https://voxpopulisphere.com/2016/07/20/john-clare-i-love-to-see-the-summer-beaming-forth/)

You can read more here

The evening walk.

Come with me...I’ll take you on our evening walk!

Keep your distance though! 😄

                                   As we make our way through the church yard,

                                    notice the old wall packed with Sedum.

                                                      The bees love it too!

                     The Foxgloves are past their best but still add a splash of colour
                                                   to an area of wasteland.

                     And then we come to this beautiful, old stone barn,
                      made extra lovely with this red, rambling rose...
                      contrasting beautifully with the green door..the perfect choice!

                        This is now a tea room with the very apt name ‘Locks Bridge‘.
                        We are, if you didn’t know, by the old Stover Canal,
                        some of which has been restored. The history is fascinating
                        and I’ve added the link at the bottom of this blog post.

         
            The Locks Bridge Tea Room is a beautiful sight and when the tea room
             is open, it will be a very welcome stop for walkers and cyclists who wish to
             rest awhile. It has all been very tastefully done. (Note the vintage ‘touches’!
            The three wheeler tricycle caught my eye!😜)

                 
                       The evening sun bathes the garden with its rays....

                       Walking further, we arrive at Ventiford Basin.
                       This is another area that has been restored. You can read more
                        about this on the web site. An amazing amount of work has
                        been done in the restoration of this but as I stand and take in
                        the surroundings, I can’t help but think about the hard work,
                        toil and exhausting physical labour that the men working here
                        in 1790 would’ve endured, day after day.
                        It’s my ‘awe and wonder’ moment of the day!

                      Someone has adapted this granite into a picnic table and seats...
                      so much nicer than plastic.  And very long lasting! Brilliant!

And here we have part of the old granite tramway

This is our history; this is our heritage.

It’s a fabulous resource and a reminder of what went on in times past;

a different age entirely and yet there’s so much for us to embrace

and learn from it all.

       We walk home feeling so content; happy that we live in such a beautiful place
       with nature alongside us doing its thing... but doing it absolutely perfectly.

       These grasses, below, are tall and stunning; the old canal is their home and

       long may it be so.

No trains today..and there probably won’t be in a hurry, as this is the old branch

 line from Newton Abbot to Heathfield and it is no longer in

use as a passenger line.

Nevertheless, I still look each way!

And who knows .. maybe one day!

 
                       
                     Finally,  Click here  for more information about the Stover Canal