A Song for November’s Winds

The wild joys of November

November
by John Clare

Sybil of months, and worshipper of winds,
I love thee, rude and boisterous as thou art;
And scraps of joy my wandering ever finds
Mid thy uproarious madness—when the start
Of sudden tempests stirs the forest leaves
Into hoarse fury, till the shower set free
Stills the huge swells. Then ebb the mighty heaves,
That sway the forest like a troubled sea.
I love thy wizard noise, and rave in turn
Half-vacant thoughts and rhymes of careless form;
Then hide me from the shower, a short sojourn,
Neath ivied oak; and mutter to the storm,
Wishing its melody belonged to me,
That I might breathe a living song to thee.

John Clare’s “November” is a beautiful poem about the wild side of the month. I cannot explain the reason but I have always loved that month, as far back as my childhood in the Bronx. Clare is not writing about the gentle, colorful beauty of spring or the warm comfort of summer. Instead, he’s looking right at November in all its moody, windswept, unpredictable glory and saying, “I love you just as you are.” That is what I am also saying, and that is why I chose this poem on November 1.

For Clare, November feels alive, even a bit wild. It’s a month that doesn’t try to put on a pretty face. With stormy winds, sudden showers, and the occasional fury of nature, November feels like a friend who’s not afraid to be real, unfiltered, and raw. Clare finds joy in this roughness. The storms and the windy uproar feel exciting to him, like the world around him is letting loose, just as he’s letting his own thoughts roam free and untamed. It feels to me almost as though he read my thoughts.

What really stands out, though, is how he wants to connect with this untamed side of nature. He’s not just admiring November from a distance; he wishes he could capture that wildness in a song or a poem. There’s a sense that Clare wants to do more than just witness the storm, he wants to feel like he’s part of it, like he can express that rough beauty with his own words. And I feel like that untamed side of nature is within myself.

Clare’s “November” celebrates the month’s raw spirit.