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John Clare

Clare was born into severe poverty in Helpston, a farm community near Peterborough in England, and went to work at the age of 7. He composed his first poems on sugar bags. The son of a ballad singer, Clare

Poets Love Nature

by John Clare (1793–1864)

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16

 Poets love nature, and themselves are love; 
 The scorn of fools, and mock of idle pride 
 The vile in nature worthless deeds approve 
 They court the vile, and spurn all good beside 
 Poets love nature, like the calm of heaven 
 Her gifts like heaven's love spread far and wide 
 In all her works there are no signs of leaven 
 Sorrow abashes from her simple pride 
 Her flowers like pleasures have their seasons birth 

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