Working with Professor Eric for a few days, I am very struck by an essay of Clare's on 'Nothing'. Too long to be laboriously typed here (via my iPad), I thought an excerpt would very much interest readers of this weblog.
"... the poor man would feel the greatest happiness upon earth if he had only experience to prove that he alone is in the possesion of liberty & consequently of happiness for the only way to endanger liberty is to become fortunate & the surest way to loose it the possesion of power
thus nothing becomes valuable & he who considers & feels thus may be said to posses the philosophers stone & make a fortune of nothing -- A philosopher consoled him self for the loss of his money in the following reflection
In loosing my money I have nothing to care for When I was rich I was afraid of every poor man but now I am poor every rich man is afraid of me
Pet MS A43 p13-15
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From Helpston in rural Northamptonshire, John Clare was born in 1793. He is now regarded as the most important poet of the natural world from Britain. He wrote many poems, prose and letters about love, sex, corruption and politics, environmental and social change, poverty and folk life. Even in his 'madness', his talents were not diminished. Ronald Blythe, past President of the Clare Society, saw Clare as "... England's most articulate village voice". Clare died, aged 71, in 1864.
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2 comments:
If I may, I believe a good companion piece to this extract would be Clare's Approaching Night, as it is printed in the Tibble two volume set. Interesting post, thank you.
For those who don't know the poem, here are four lines. Thank you for the reminder Douglas.
11: Oh, how I long to be agen
12: That poor and independent man,
13: With labour's lot from morn to night
14: And books to read at candle-light;
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