In the last two lines of the poem he tell us that as long as men are still alive and can breathe and see, his poem lives on and by this, this gives life to her making her live forever.
First Love is a poem written by John Clare, and straight away just by looking at the title we know what this poem is about. He uses very strong and powerful language in the first verse of the Sonnet and he is talking about how in love he is. In the first line he says that I never was “struck”, almost as if he was hit by love, even though we know he doesn’t mean the literal term of being hurt by this. He was struck by love at first sight which struck suddenly and so “sweet”. He is describing her beauty and saying that it is like a blooming flower which stole his heart almost as if his heart could be taken away from his body and be a separate part of him.
He then goes on to say in lines five to nine to speak about the effect of her beauty on him. His face turned pale almost a “deadly pale” and his “legs refused to walk away”. He is transfixed with her and cannot move. His “life and all seemed to turn to clay.” In the second verse he is saying that all the blood is rushing to his face and took his sight away. He is blushing which takes away his sight. He is blinded by love. We know that he cannot see because he goes on to say “the trees and bushes round the place seemed midnight at noonday.” Even though it is midday it seems like it is midnight because he can’t see anything.
He say’s in line sixteen that blood “burnt” round his heart, he uses alliteration, there is so much heat from the passion.
In the third and final verse the themes change, instead of him talking about warm themes he turns them into cold themes. He is asking a question in line seventeen hoping that she will return his love. She heard his “silent voice” and “love’s appeal to know.” She is intrigued and appealed about his love for her. In the final four lines he say’s he has never seen anyone as beautiful as her and his heart has “left his body and can return no more.”
Let me not is written by William Shakespeare and he is writing about true love. In the first verse he establishes his belief in the strength of true love. “ love is not love which alters when it alteration finds or bends with the remover to remove.” This basically means that true love doesn’t change, never bends. He say’s that it is something that cannot move, “it is an ever fixed marke.” He uses a metaphor to say that love is strong even through violent storms are present, even still love stands strong. “ That lookes on tempests and is never shaken.” He then says that it is the “star” to every lost ship-(wandring barke) and it always takes people back to where they are.
Throughout lines nine to twelve he changes the theme, instead of love being changed by things trying to stand in its way and divert it he is talking about love over time. Love‘s not “times foole, though rosie lips and cheeks.” Time will conquer over youth death will eventually come. We get the idea of death coming by Shakespeare saying “within his bending sickles compasse come.” A sickle is a long sharp tool that is associated with the grim reaper (death).
Although time conquers ver youth, time does not conquer over love, “Love alters not with his breefe houres and weekes, but bears it out even to the edge of doom.” Love stays the same even to the point of death, it is eternal, and it goes on until the “point of doome.”
In the last two lines he is using hyperbole, this is extremely exaggerated language and we know that these lines are false. “If this error be writ and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.” If this poem he has written is wrong and proven wrong to him, then he has never written before, and no man has ever loved.
The poem I like best out of all three is First Love. The reason I think this is because it is the most inspiring and beautiful out of all three of them. The first love in your life is the best thing that will ever happen in your life, it is exciting, exhilarating and very enjoyable. John Clare makes the poem seem so romantic and makes you feel as if you were in that situation.
The other poems although good, they lack what First Love does. Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day is still a very poetic and beautiful poem, it is just describing the lover, not experiencing true love.
Let me not is about being faithful and how true love can last forever and conquer time and any obstacles that stand in it’s way. This poem has many references about death in it and it is not a nice poem towards the end.
First Love is about feeling passion and being blinded by love. This is a desirable state to be in, it is invigorating and special.
