Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn
Encyclopedia
Sarah Norcliffe Cleghorn (1876-1959) was a miniaturist poet associated with the American Naturalist literary movement. Born in Norfolk, Virginia
, Cleghorn spent much of her early childhood in Minnesota
and Wisconsin
before moving to Vermont
at age 9 after the death of her mother. She remained there for the majority of her life until her death in Philadelphia in 1959.
Cleghorn's poetry is largely didactic in nature, serving to illustrate Christian Socialist
values and progressive political and social principles. Her most widely known poem "The Golf Links" is an ironic and satirical look at child labor. Her first volume of poetry, Portraits and Protests was published in 1917 and her second, Peace and Freedom in 1945. Her autobiography, published in 1936, was prefaced with an introduction by Robert Frost
.
She also wrote a poem named "Vermont".
Wide and shallow, in the cowslip marshes
Floods the freshet of the April snow.
Late drifts linger in the hemlock gorges,
Through the brakes and mosses trickling slow
Where the Mayflower,
Where the painted trillium, leaf and blow.
Foliaged deep, the cool midsummer maples
Shade the porches of the long white street;
Trailing wide, Olympian elms lean over
Tiny churches where the crossroads meet.
Threescore: The Autobiography of Sarah N. Cleghorn, 1936
Norfolk, Virginia
Norfolk is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. With a population of 242,803 as of the 2010 Census, it is Virginia's second-largest city behind neighboring Virginia Beach....
, Cleghorn spent much of her early childhood in Minnesota
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
and Wisconsin
Wisconsin
Wisconsin is a U.S. state located in the north-central United States and is part of the Midwest. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michigan to the northeast, and Lake Superior to the north. Wisconsin's capital is...
before moving to Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
at age 9 after the death of her mother. She remained there for the majority of her life until her death in Philadelphia in 1959.
Cleghorn's poetry is largely didactic in nature, serving to illustrate Christian Socialist
Christian socialism
Christian socialism generally refers to those on the Christian left whose politics are both Christian and socialist and who see these two philosophies as being interrelated. This category can include Liberation theology and the doctrine of the social gospel...
values and progressive political and social principles. Her most widely known poem "The Golf Links" is an ironic and satirical look at child labor. Her first volume of poetry, Portraits and Protests was published in 1917 and her second, Peace and Freedom in 1945. Her autobiography, published in 1936, was prefaced with an introduction by Robert Frost
Robert Frost
Robert Lee Frost was an American poet. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech. His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and...
.
Source
- Gioia, Dana, David Hilary Mason, Meg Schoerke, eds. Twentieth-Century American Poetry. New York: McGraw-Hill. 2004. pp 75–76.
She also wrote a poem named "Vermont".
Wide and shallow, in the cowslip marshes
Floods the freshet of the April snow.
Late drifts linger in the hemlock gorges,
Through the brakes and mosses trickling slow
Where the Mayflower,
Where the painted trillium, leaf and blow.
Foliaged deep, the cool midsummer maples
Shade the porches of the long white street;
Trailing wide, Olympian elms lean over
Tiny churches where the crossroads meet.
Threescore: The Autobiography of Sarah N. Cleghorn, 1936