John Clare's The nightingale's nest

John Clare wrote this about the actual bird, I guess I expected it to be about a woman, he actually believed that most Londoners thought of most birds as nightingales if they made a sound after sunset.  I am quite drawn to the tenderness in which he describes this bird.  The delicately and soft presence this bird has on him.  But if I touched a bush, or scarcely stirred, All in a moment stopt. I watched in vain : The timid bird had left the hazel bush, And at a distance hid to sing again.    This particulate part of the poem describes just how sensitive this bird is to its surroundings, he has to be completely careful any small amount of noise can startle and frighten this bird.  Then he talks about the rude boys that do not think to look about her home and just build there destroying her habitat.  If this is a metaphor for a person or humanity in general, how others can be so careless and cruel to the sensitivities of others, those that are like the nightingale startle by anything.    This Elegant and beautiful bird is something to be admired, protected, noticed.  The Nightingale is not just a bird with a beautiful voice, the calming presence that surrounds it and those around this bird.