Impromptu

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



'Where art thou wandering, little child?'
I said to one I met to-day.--
She pushed her bonnet up and smiled,
'I'm going upon the green to play:
Folks tell me that the May's in flower,
That cowslip-peeps are fit to pull,
And I've got leave to spend an hour
To get this little basket full.'

--And thou'st got leave to spend an hour!
My heart repeated.--She was gone;
--And thou hast heard the thorn's in flower,
And childhood's bliss is urging on:
Ah, happy child! thou mak'st me sigh,
This once as happy heart of mine,
Would nature with the boon comply,
How gladly would I change for thine.

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

36 sec read
40

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCD CXCXEFEF
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 582
Words 115
Stanzas 2
Stanza Lengths 8, 8

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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    "Impromptu" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 28 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/22245/impromptu>.

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