John Clare Poems

- The Lifetime Published Poetry

I snatch’d the sun’s eternal ray

And wrote till earth was but a name.

In every language upon earth

On every shore, o’er every sea,

I gave my name immortal birth

And kept my spirit with the free.

This site is concerned only to reproduce the four volumes of Clare’s poetry which were published during his lifetime. An explanation for this is given in the Introduction. Each volume is divided into its original sections, which may be read continuously. Readers who wish to search for individual poems should use an Index. Poems appear much as on their original pages, although line numbers have been added, and a number of corrections made. Details of all changes from the original texts may be found in the Notes to each volume. Page numbers are shown, and blank pages indicated.

For further information about Clare, including a useful chronology of his life, go to the John Clare Page. Enthusiasts may be interested in learning more about the John Clare Society.

Site edited by Simon Sanada

Aichi University, Japan

Last update December 2007

Site established December 2007