The Darkling Thrush Analysis

The Darkling Thrush





I leant upon a coppice gate,

When Frost was spectre-gray,

And Winter's dregs made desolate

The weakening eye of day.

The tangled vine-stems scored the sky

Like strings of broken lyres,

And all mankind that haunted nigh

Had sought their household fires.



The land's sharp features seemed to me

The Century's corpse outleant,

Its crypt the cloudy canopy,

The wind its death-lament.

The ancient pulse of germ and birth

Was shrunken hard and dry,

And every spirit upon earth

Seemed fervorless as I.



At once a voice arose among

The bleak twigs overhead,

In a full-throated evensong

Of joy illimited.

An ancient thrush, frail, gaunt and small,

With blast-beruffled plume,

Had chosen thus to fling his soul

Upon the growing gloom.



So little cause for carolings

Of such ecstatic sound

Was written on terrestrial things

Afar or nigh around,

That I could think there trembled through

His happy good-night air

Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew,

And I was unaware.

.: :.

i believe the meaning of this poem is about how the writer Thomas Hardy demonstrates emotional projection in this piece of work. He projects that it is a sad day because it is gloomy and no one is out but in reality it is not a sad day because of the weather but because he projects this to the world. So basically the meaning to this poem is life is what you make it...so it all depends on the person and their projection on the world.

| Posted on 2009-11-16 | by a guest

.: :.

humans are soooo mean to each other!! why can everyone just accept each others analysis everyone is CORRECT in their own way!!! GOD
everyone should hate selena gomez and demi lovato btw their freaks and FAKE ppl i KNOW

| Posted on 2009-10-19 | by a guest

.: :.

Hardy thought up the original title ‘By the Centuries Deathbed’ in reference to the melancholic portrayal of the end of the 19th Century. Throughout the poem, the setting the speaker finds himself in is depicted with a very grim tone, presenting the reader with a profoundly bleak image of the scene. Most of the poem describes and personifies the Century as if it were on ‘his’ deathbed – ‘The Century’s corpse outleant’ or ‘His crypt the cloudy canopy’. Toward the beginning of the poem, Hardy uses the winter to exaggerate the cold tone and simultaneously creates an ideal setting for his harsh language. The result is harrowing, gaunt and violent ‘The tangled bine-stems scored the sky’. Hardy subtly merges the Century with nature into one as a means to illustrate the dismal aftermath and death of the century. Nature is typically a thing of awe-inspiring beauty. The idea of a ‘broken lyre’ (a type of harp) could symbolise the almost holy presence befitting to natures splendour being abandoned, throwing the century/nature into darkness and the almost post-apocalyptic and deathly state Hardy depicts. The title would also support the idea of the speaker as a ‘fervourless’ observer to the dying century, as if he were sitting beside it.
This title greatly contrasts to the title Hardy actually chose. ‘The Darkling Thrush’ refers to the shred of light, however insignificant it may seem, thrown ‘Upon the growing gloom’ and points to the future. ‘By the Centuries Deathbed’ points to the past and present dismalness, and may not have been appropriate it wouldn’t have encapsulated the overall message of Hardy’s uncertainty and sense of ambiguity toward the future symbolised by the bird.

| Posted on 2009-05-19 | by a guest

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hey.
im 12 and i love this poem because it shows that we should'nt fear or dislike change but embrace it. the bird represents an angel sent from above to change the pessimetic views that have been described.

| Posted on 2009-05-17 | by a guest

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I am 17 and currently studying Hardy's poems for my English Literature exams. I find it so shocking that some of you critisise each other so rudely. You all have some very good good points about your understanding of the poems but but you don't seem to undertstand that any poem you analyse can be seen and interpretated in anyway you percieve, as long as you can back it up with qoutations.
Anisah

| Posted on 2009-01-26 | by a guest

.: reply to Evolution :.

stop criticising everyones ideas, poetry can be percieved in anyway you like.
In the second stanza there are many references to death which symbolises the death of the century, for example the metaphor "the century's corpse"

| Posted on 2008-05-16 | by a guest

.: Darkling Thrush :.

The explanation that Hardy is dealing with the turn of the century is correct. the "retreating" of the "sea of faith" is Hardy speaking of the lack of religious certainty due to the turn of the 19th century and the ideas that push against the religious beliefs of the current time period (Darwin's evolution of species is against the Christian belief that humanity was developed over 6 days)this is expressed in "no longer a bright girdle furled" around the planet, otherwise expressed as that a girdle or the support system that Christianity had for the planet is not there anymore.
The introduction of a a "illimited" bird in the thrust is used as a contrast to the melancholic mood of the speaker by creating an "ecstatic sound." The speaker will maintain his depressive state, the bird though had a hope for the future that the speaker has no hope because he is aware of the social changes at the turn of the century, but the bird does not."some blessed Hope, whereof he knew And I was unaware."

| Posted on 2008-04-22 | by a guest

.: Hardy Longs for Hope :.

In the poem, everything is melancholy, except for the bird's song. The bird is even old, but it sings and lets its soul free. Hardy in unaware of this hope that the bird has, and he longs for it. If he did not long for it he would not have noticed the bird's utter joy and he would of thought nothing of the bird's song.

| Posted on 2008-02-27 | by a guest

.: Hardy Longs for Hope :.

In the poem, everything is melancholy, except for the bird's song. The bird is even old, but it sings and lets its soul free. Hardy in unaware of this hope that the bird has, and he longs for it. If he did not long for it he would not have noticed the bird's utter joy and he would of thought nothing of the bird's song.

| Posted on 2008-02-27 | by a guest

.: :.

The sole purpose of this poem is to indicate Thomas Hardy's depression in not having a sole or [censored] buddy. the bird is happy because it is getting some but Hardy is having it rough with no sort of passion in his life and he sees no positivity or motivation because of this, life is just very uneventful and he is just taking it in not bothered enough to change it but just enough to let it pass by.

| Posted on 2007-12-09 | by a guest

.: Darkling Thrush :.

WOW! i like the running explanation. But i actually had to sing this poem.THe Darkling Thrush was turned into a song if any of you didn't know that. And it is amazing. If you like music. Well i took the poem in a a similar way. Thomas Hardy (I believe) is referring to not only the turn of the century but to the turning point of his life. I imagined him, yes, leaning apon a copice gate in a gloomy time, just wondering about the future and what is going to happen. He know that the current time is bad and that it seems as though nothing will ever go right for him. Of course it is winter and we all know that in winter weather is gloomy and grey. and depressing. All the sudden the bird in the branch above him starts singing. But it is as if the bird knows something he does not. He knows things will get better. And for such a small bird, he sings loud and positive as if promising the future will be better. "Some blesses hope whereof he knew, and i was unaware" The bird is a sight of hope for him. For he had not known what to expect, but he had his hope.

| Posted on 2007-12-05 | by a guest

.: :.

What I got out of this poem was that the speaker is referring to the turn of the century. It was the entrance into the 20th century. The title can also mean The evening bird. As you can see the poem was written on December 31,1900 and the speaker seems to use alot of dark and gloomy things to give you a sense that the 19th century is dying with the line "the century's corpse outleant." Another thing i got out of this was that the speaker seemed unaffected by the change. It was almost as if he were depressed and will continue to be depressed. HE has no energy with the line "Seemed fevorless as I" and shows he is not affeced y the last line of being unaware.

| Posted on 2007-03-27 | by a guest

.: :.

What I got out of this poem was that the speaker is referring to the turn of the century. It was the entrance into the 20th century. The title can also mean The evening bird. As you can see the poem was written on December 31,1900 and the speaker seems to use alot of dark and gloomy things to give you a sense that the 19th century is dying with the line "the century's corpse outleant." Another thing i got out of this was that the speaker seemed unaffected by the change. It was almost as if he were depressed and will continue to be depressed. HE has no energy with the line "Seemed fevorless as I" and shows he is not affeced y the last line of being unaware.

| Posted on 2007-03-27 | by a guest

.: Evolution :.

The first analysis really is a joke that is the dumbest thing I have ever heard of. The second one is getting a little closer due to the fact he knows some facts about this poem, But infact this poem is focusing on the turn of the century and the impact Darwin has had on it. Hardy is trying to show that he does not know what to think he has no beleif in a higher being and is scared to go into a new chapter. The person who's analysis is just before this one is close but not persise. He looks at the robbin not as such just the beautiful sound for hope but the beautiful sound that his belief's are not totally and apsolutly gone.

| Posted on 2007-03-25 | by a guest

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that analysis before this one is a total joke!
i think that the poem kind of means the foreboding of the speaker towards the coming of the twentieth century (as it was written on december 31, 1900) and the poet's apprehension of it. he hears the cheery robin's song, however, and is assured that he should have hope because not everything that ends (the nineteenth century, in this case) is bad and that he should give a chance to the aspects of this new century.

| Posted on 2006-03-11 | by Approved Guest

.: Running :.

In this poem, the speaker is disillusioned with running. He leans "upon a coppice gate" to take a break from his morning jog. Though he used to take notice of the beauty around him, today he notices all the barrenness of winter. As the "eye of day" is weakening, so is his eye for running--he is losing interest as the season (his life) wears on. The wind (resistance to runners) is his "death-lament" which shows that he is discouraged due to the difficulites and setbacks of running. The bird is a person he sees who still enjoys running. This person offers a fresh perspective and has a "blessed Hope, whereof he knew, and I was unaware." However, he is too tired and disillusioned to appreciate the "ecstatic sound" of another runner who is running at their peak. This enthusiasm for running only serves to discourage the speaker.

| Posted on 2005-04-28 | by Approved Guest