Analysis of Now Is Past

John Clare 1793 (Helpston) – 1864 (St Andrew's Hospital)



_Now_ is past--the happy _now_
When we together roved
Beneath the wildwood's oak-tree bough
And Nature said we loved.
Winter's blast
The _now_ since then has crept between,
And left us both apart.
Winters that withered all the green
Have froze the beating heart.
Now is past.

_Now_ is past since last we met
Beneath the hazel bough;
Before the evening sun was set
Her shadow stretched below.
Autumn's blast
Has stained and blighted every bough;
Wild strawberries like her lips
Have left the mosses green below,
Her bloom's upon the hips.
Now is past.

_Now_ is past, is changed agen,
The woods and fields are painted new.
Wild strawberries which both gathered then,
None know now where they grew.
The skys oercast.
Wood strawberries faded from wood sides,
Green leaves have all turned yellow;
No Adelaide walks the wood rides,
True love has no bed-fellow.
Now is past.


Scheme abcbbababB bcbdbcedeB aaaxbfdfdB
Poetic Form Tetractys  (33%)
Etheree  (23%)
Metre 1110101 110101 0101111 010111 101 01111101 011101 10110101 110101 111 1111111 010101 01010111 01101 101 110101001 110101 11010101 010101 111 111111 01011101 11011101 111111 011 11010111 1111110 1101011 1111110 111
Closest metre Iambic trimeter
Characters 846
Words 151
Sentences 13
Stanzas 3
Stanza Lengths 10, 10, 10
Lines Amount 30
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 5
Letters per stanza (avg) 230
Words per stanza (avg) 50
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

46 sec read
65

John Clare

John Clare was an English poet in his time he was commonly known as the Northamptonshire Peasant Poet more…

All John Clare poems | John Clare Books

1 fan

Discuss this John Clare poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Now Is Past" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/22263/now-is-past>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    15
    hours
    48
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote the poem "O Captain! My Captain!"?
    A Walt Whitman
    B Samuel Taylor Coleridge
    C Ezra Pound
    D Emily Dickinson