John Clare Reading Response - Jessica Lyle

Jessica Lyle

Selected Poems by John Clare - Reading Response 

Upon first reading of the selection of poems assigned for today’s reading I was struck by how much I liked them.  They moved me in a way I am not usually moved by nature poetry.  I am going to focus on “Recollections after a Ramble” and “I Am.” 

“Recollections after a Ramble,” being the first listed on the syllabus, was the first of John Clare’s poems that I read.  I expected to be underwhelmed by a poet I had never heard of, but I was pleasantly surprised.  The language and meter flowed pleasantly, and unlike the various poems entitled “Song” that we also read for today, did not sound too sing-songy when read aloud. (To be fair, I also enjoyed Clare’s “Song” poems, I merely felt they were less enjoyable to read aloud).  Why did I expect to be disappointed by the poems of an author of whom I had never heard?  Why exactly did I enjoy this poem so much?  I think I enjoyed John Clare’s nature poetry so much because there is an element of humanity in each one.  In “Recollections” he reflects not only on all he sees in nature, but he also reflects upon his own childhood with a sense of melancholy and regret that he has to return to an adult life, devoid of his childhood activities.

“I Am” is possibly one of the most chilling poems I have ever read. This poem, written during Clare’s descent into madness, is rife with melancholic self-reflection.  Clare laments his perceived lack of friends and admits his longing for a place devoid of mankind, where he and his God can be utterly alone.  My question is: What exactly was Clare’s affliction that he was committed to an asylum for?  What would be his diagnosis today?  Did his friends truly forsake him or was this only Clare’s perception as a result of his mental instability?   There is so much that can be said and discussed about all of Clare’s poems, I look forward to today’s class discussion.