"To Mary"
I sleep with thee, and wake with thee,
And yet thou art not there;
I fill my arms with thoughts of thee,
And press the common air.
Thy eyes are gazing upon mine,
When thou art out of sight;
My lips are always touching thine,
At morning, noon, and night.
I think and speak of other things
To keep my mind at rest:
But still to thee my memory clings
Like love in woman's breast.
I hide it from the world's wide eye,
And think and speak contrary;
But soft the wind comes from the sky,
And whispers tales of Mary.
The night wind whispers in my ear,
The moons shines in my face;
A burden still of chilling fear
I find in every place.
The breeze is whispering in the bush,
And the dews fall from the tree,
All sighing on, and will not hush,
Some pleasant tales of thee.
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Who wrote the poem "To Mary"?
John Clare (July 13, 1793 – May 20, 1864)
John Clare was an English poet. As the son
of a poor farm labourer, he received little formal education, and malnutrition
from childhood may have contributed to his five-foot stature and poor physical
health in later life. His works often celebrate the natural world and rural
life and his love for his wife Patty and his childhood lover, Mary Joyce.
Although his first book, Poems Descriptive of Rural Life and Scenery
(1820), published in an attempt to stop his parents’ eviction from their home,
became popular to readers and critics, Clare struggled as a writer for most of
his life. His works were reevaluated in the late 20th century, and
he is now considered as a major 19th century poet.
"To Mary" explanation
After attending a day school for a few
months every year until he was 12 years old, Clare went to night school and
studied informally with his friends. He met fellow student Mary Joyce there and
fell in love. However, the two had to separate because her father, a prosperous
farmer, forbade the relationship. Although Clare later married Patty Turner, he
devoted many poems to his childhood love, Mary.
