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The Invitation

By John Clare

Topics: classic

Come hither, my dear one, my choice one, and rare one,      And let us be walking the meadows so fair,      Where on pilewort and daisies the eye fondly gazes,      And the wind plays so sweet in thy bonny brown hair.      Come with thy maiden eye, lay silks and satins by;      Come in thy russet or grey cotton gown;      Come to the meads, dear, where flags, sedge, and reeds appear,      Rustling to soft winds and bowing low down.      Come with thy parted hair, bright eyes, and forehead bare;      Come to the whitethorn that grows in the lane;      To banks of primroses, where sweetness reposes,      Come, love, and let us be happy again.      Come where the violet flowers, come where the morning showers      Pearl on the primrose and speedwell so blue;      Come to that clearest brook that ever runs round the nook      Where you and I pledged our first love so true.

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"Come hither, my dear one, my choice one, and rare one,..."

Exploring the themes of classic, John Clare delivers a powerful performance in "The Invitation"... ### 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

"Come hither, my dear one, my choice one, and rare ..." 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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