Time’s Fool

1. Time’s Fool Ruth Pitter

2. Times Fool by Ruth Pitter • Time's fool, but not heaven's: yet hope not for any return.The rabbit-eaten dry branch and the halfpenny candleAre lost with the other treasure: the sooty kettleThrown away, become redbreast's home in the hedge, where the nettleShoots up, and bad bindweed wreathes rust-fretted handle.Under that broken thing no more shall the dry branch burn.Poor comfort all comfort: once what the mouse had sparedWas enough, was delight, there where the heart was at home:The hard cankered apple holed by the wasp and the bird,The damp bed, with the beetle's tap in the headboard heard,The dim bit of mirror, three inches of comb:Dear enough, when with youth and with fancy shared.I knew that the roots were creeping under the floor,That the toad was safe in his hole, the poor cat by the fire,The starling snug in the roof, each slept in his place:The lily in splendour, the vine in her grace,The fox in the forest, all had their desire,As then I had mine, in the place that was happy and poor.

3. Introduction • Ruth Pitter was born in 1897 and lived to 1992. • Originally Emma Thomas ‘Ruth’ Pitter • British 20th century poet • First woman to Receive Queens gold medal for poetry in 1955

4. Main Themes • “Waste not want not”/ “Recycle and Reuse” • Foolish to try and get back time instead remember it and make use of what has past threw the use of old things • Time • Environmental Problems • All these themes link in with one another in the poem, one theme leads to another.

5. Stanza 1 • Time's fool, but not heaven's: yet hope not for any return. • The rabbit-eaten dry branch and the halfpenny candle • Are lost with the other treasure: the sooty kettle • Thrown away, become redbreast's home in the hedge, where the nettle • Shoots up, and bad bindweed wreathes rust-fretted handle. • Under that broken thing no more shall the dry branch burn.

6. Stanza 2 • Poor comfort all comfort: once what the mouse had spared • Was enough, was delight, there where the heart was at home: • The hard cankered apple holed by the wasp and the bird, • The damp bed, with the beetle's tap in the headboard heard, • The dim bit of mirror, three inches of comb: • Dear enough, when with youth and with fancy shared.

7. Stanza 3 • I knew that the roots were creeping under the floor, • That the toad was safe in his hole, the poor cat by the fire, • The starling snug in the roof, each slept in his place: • The lily in splendour, the vine in her grace, • The fox in the forest, all had their desire, • As then I had mine, in the place that was happy and poor

8. Structure and Techniques • Very simple , simple techniques and structure –simple poem, expresses the theme of how we should be more simplistic in our way of life, taking pleasure in the simple things. • Time has been personified, most noticeable in the first stanza and title, “Time’s Fool”, saying we are a fools to time. This gives time an all powerful presence in the poem, showing the way it is always there and around us and it has an effect on everything.

9. Tones and Connections • Humble • Content • Slow moving , to do with age maybe ? • The Trees are Down and Time’s Fool both link with the idea of humans destroying nature.