Thomas Hardy, “The Darkling Thrush”
9th Norton Anthology of English Literature, Vol. 2, pg 1933
“ So little cause for carolings
Of such ecstatic sound
Was written on terrestrial things
Afar or nigh around” (25–28).
“The Darkling Thrush” is a reaction to the turn of the century, from 1899 to 1900. It starts with the Romantic “I” and evokes archaic speech patterns to convey a real sense of doom and despondency upon the landscape. The speaker throws some great puns in there too, he refers to the sunset as “the weakening eye of day”, and later emphasizes “all mankind” to suggest that he himself is alone among the despair of the “century’s corpse.” The form of the poem, despite discussing how everything falls apart is a strict form, reflecting the cyclical mutability of time. Then a bird (similar to the one in “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner”) becomes a harbinger of hope, and in the final lines of the poem, ushers in the modern era. The poem ends with the implication that our solitude might not be the whole picture.
(Alternatively, the poem could be read as reflecting the anxiety over the supposed end of poetry. With the rise in the novel, this poem could be asking “does poetry still have a place to sing?”)
Honestly, when someone begins reading this poem my internal reaction is like this guy, who forgot he packed himself a bag of cheez doodles for his trip in the Artic. (Click it, you’ll be glad you did.)
I love this poem wholeheartedly. I am the creator and executive director of a nonprofit called Arts For the Cure, which raises money for young adults affected by chronic/terminal illnesses through the arts. Every year we hold a candlelight vigil that recognizes those lost in the fight for life, which consists of placing candles in decorated white paper bags. It’s a huge production — the visual artists will decorate bags beautifully, but this past year we ended up with 16 bags that needed decorating in a short amount of time. Those involved in the literature/creative writing arm of Arts For the Cure elected to write two lines each of “The Darkling Thrush” on one bag, until the final bag was placed at the end of the finish line decorated with the words “Some blessed Hope, whereof he knew / and I was unaware.” It was an unforgettable moment.
I also highly, highly suggest listening to the final two movements of “The Firebird Suite” by Stravinsky as the best musical interpretation of “The Darkling Thrush,” even if you are not particularly prone to classical music. Give it a few minutes: like “The Darkling Thrush,” everything has to fall apart before the french horn saves the day and changes your entire reason for existence.
Gamme, Aleksander. “Basic Needs — Extreme Happiness.” Youtube
. N.p., 29 Mar. 2012. Web. 12 Dec. 2015.
“The City Birder.” : Rare Bird in the Snow. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Dec. 2015
