What is Life by John Clare

“What is life?” is a poem by John Clare in the 19th century which consists of one sestet, one octave, and two quintets. It’s a very melodious and rhythmical poem in which the Clare asks a series of provocative questions. Throughout the poem, Clare uses strong imagery and metaphors to help create a somber and bleak mood, which in turn saddens the whole poem. Clare also uses strong imagery and figurative language to reflect his dejection and despair towards life.

The first stanza starts with a very profound question “What is life?” to give an idea of what the stanza is about. It’s closely followed by a series of metaphor that gives the reader the first clue to towards the theme of the poem. It says “An hour-glass on the run”. An ‘hourglass’ gives you a very restrictive image and just as the grains of sand are constantly falling, in the same way life is passing without a stop. “On the run” further emphasizes the speed at which life is passing away. The second line “A mist retreating from the morning sun” emphasizes on the fragility of life by comparing it to mist that dissipates within minutes. He goes on to say:” Its length? A minute's pause, a moment's thought.” The ephemeral nature of life is suggested by the juxtaposition of life and a short interval of thought. He then asks his second question: “What is happiness” and answers it with “A bubble on the stream that in the act of seizing shrinks to naught.” It’s another important metaphor that shows the author’s tone towards the subject of happiness. A bubble pops into nothingness when one tries to capture it, and same goes with happiness as suggested by Clare.

The second stanza states the author’s opinion towards hope.  He compares hope with “the puffing gale of morn”, which sweeps away the anticipation like it does to the flowers & a cobweb that disguises the disappointment that lies deep within. The theme of the first two stanzas is that life is abrupt and full of misfortune, and that hope is but an illusion.

The third stanza creates an even more solemn mood with the use of cacophony and diction. This stanza includes many metaphors for death. For instance, “A long and lingering sleep the weary crave.” Note that the weariness referred here is not physical but has a spiritual connotation to it. The next two lines are fairly literal: “Peace can be found nowhere at all, save heaven and the grave.” Heaven and the grave also symbolize death. The theme here is that you can only find tranquility & salvation in death.

The tone of the last two paragraphs changes dramatically. Instead of complaining about life, it is prizing it. The forth stanza begins with the repetition “What is life” as a way of reconnecting to the first paragraph and making the readers to rethink about the topic, though changing the tone drastically. The last few lines are literally language and are direct, so they stand out in a poem filled with metaphors and symbolism. Life is being compared to a trial that all must undergo, to teach us, the unthankful mortals how to prize the happiness associated with being able to live. The theme of the poem consequently, is also resolved in the last stanza: “that although life is inevitable and full of misery, we oftentimes neglect the fact that the pleasure of life is not result oriented. Yet no one understands the value of life until it is taken away”.