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Hodge

By John Clare

Topics: classic

He plays with other boys when work is done,     But feels too clumsy and too stiff to run,     Yet where there's mischief he can find a way     The first to join and last [to run] away.     What's said or done he never hears or minds     But gets his pence for all the eggs he finds.     He thinks his master's horses far the best,     And always labours longer than the rest.     In frost and cold though lame he's forced to go--     The call's more urgent when he journeys slow.     In surly speed he helps the maids by force     And feeds the cows and hallos till he's hoarse;     And when he's lame they only jest and play     And bid him throw his kiby heels away.

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"He plays with other boys when work is done,..."

Exploring the themes of classic, John Clare delivers a powerful performance in "Hodge"... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:John Clare

"He plays with other boys when work is done,..." by John Clare

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"The Text is taken from Percy's Reliques (1765), vol. i. p. 71, 'given from two MS. copies, transmitted from Scotland.' Herd had a very similar bal"

John Clare

About John Clare

John Clare (1793–1864) was an English poet known as the "peasant poet" for his humble origins. His nature poetry—including "I Am" and "Badger"—captures the English countryside with extraordinary precision and emotional honesty, and he is now recognized as one of the finest nature poets in the language.

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