Analysis of Clock-O'-Clay

John Clare 1793 (Helpston) – 1864 (St Andrew's Hospital)



In the cowslip pips I lie,
Hidden from the buzzing fly,
While green grass beneath me lies,
Pearled with dew like fishes' eyes,
Here I lie, a clock-o'-clay,
Waiting for the time o' day.

While the forest quakes surprise,
And the wild wind sobs and sighs,
My home rocks as like to fall,
On its pillar green and tall;
When the pattering rain drives by
Clock-o'-clay keeps warm and dry.

Day by day and night by night,
All the week I hide from sight;
In the cowslip pips I lie,
In the rain still warm and dry;
Day and night and night and day,
Red, black-spotted clock-o'-clay.

My home shakes in wind and showers,
Pale green pillar topped with flowers,
Bending at the wild wind's breath,
Till I touch the grass beneath;
Here I live, lone clock-o'-clay,
Watching for the time of day.


Scheme Aabbcc bbddaa eeAacc ffxxcc
Poetic Form
Metre 0010111 1010101 1110111 1111101 1110111 1010111 1010101 0011101 1111111 1110101 101111 1111101 1110111 1011111 0010111 0011101 1010101 1110111 11101010 11101110 1010111 1110101 1111111 1010111
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 760
Words 145
Sentences 5
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 6, 6, 6, 6
Lines Amount 24
Letters per line (avg) 25
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 148
Words per stanza (avg) 36
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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on May 01, 2023

45 sec read
122

John Clare

John Clare was an English poet in his time he was commonly known as the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet more…

All John Clare poems | John Clare Books

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    Repeated use of words for effect and emphasis is called ________.
    A assonance
    B rhyme
    C repetition
    D rhythm