This book presents Clare's poetry exactly as he wrote it, and includes selections from his `mad' poems as well as his earlier descriptions of birds, animals and village life.

Introduction JOHN CLARE: SELECTED POETRY AND PROSE Helps tone 'I was born at Helpstone' Noon The harvest morning The lamentations of Round-Oak Waters from Summer evening My Mary 'Grammar' Summer Proposals for building a cottage Langley Bush The woodman Childish recollections Written in November The gipseys camp 'My first attempts at poetry' from The village minstrel Helpston Green Noon (sonnet) from Rural evening 'Going for a soldier' from The fate of genius A prophet is nothing in his own country from Winter The last of March To a fallen elm from A Sunday with shepherds and herdboys from The autobiography The mores The lament of Swordy Well from The progress of ryhme from The parish 'Prologue' 'Village patriots' 'The parish council' 'The workhouse' To the snipe The woodman (sonnet) The cottager from The shepherd's calendar from June November from Childhood 'Memories of childhood' from Summer images from The summer shower The flood Mist in the meadows Emmonsails Heath in winter England, 1830 Schoolboys in winter The foddering boy Winter evening Sand martin The thrushes nest The pettichaps nest The yellowhammers nest 'Snakes' Hedge sparrow from The flitting Remembrances The fens The ragwort The mouse's nest Sheep in winter 1Wild bees' nest Stone pit Wild duck's nest The green woodpecker's nest Woodpecker's nest The puddock's nest The groundlark The marten The fox The badger The hedgehog The vixen The water lilies The gipsy camp London versus Epping Forest 'Byron's funeral' Vll Don Juan A poem Journey out of Essex from Child Harold Tis Martinmas from rig to rig Lord hear my prayer when trouble glooms Mary Song Song last day Look through the naked bramble and black thorn lam The crow There is a charm in solitude that cheers The peasant poet Lines on 'Cowper' The winters come Fragment To John Clare Letter to James Hipkins Birds nests Critical commentary