1he Darkling 1hrush

How does Hardy describe the thrush?

Hardy describes the thrush as old (aged`), weak (Irail`), haggard (gaunt`) and small and its plume disheveled by the
gust oI wind (blast -beruIIled plume`). The physical diminution and insigniIicance oI the thrush are contrasted with
its Iull-hearted evensong` written on the terrestrial things` Iull oI illimited joy.`
escribe the evening landscape.
The poem starts with a description oI the wintry evening landscape. The Irost is 'spectre-grey. The winter`s dregs act
upon the 'weakening eye oI day, making the twilight 'desolate. In the IiIth and sixth lines, 'tangled bine-stems are
compared to 'strings oI broken lyres covering the sky. The now personiIied century is entombed in the sky ("the
cloudy canopy"), and the wind is its "death lament." The poem deromanticizes nature by taking even the capacity Ior
renewal away: "The ancient pulse oI germ and birth, / Was shrunken hard and dry."
~The ancient pulse . dry- comment.
'The ancient pulse oI germ and birth reIers to the perpetual cycle oI regeneration. The speaker implies that the very
processes oI nature are at a standstill and that the next spring might not come. The land's desolate Ieatures represent
more than the simple and conventional Iigure oI wintry death or the lowest point in the cycle oI seasons. A greater
termination is occurring, involving the very "pulse" oI creation. The poet persona is dejected because the landscape
surrounding him is desolate and grim.
What does the thrush symbolize?
The thrush in Hardy`s 'The darkling Thrush is powerIul symbol oI Hope. Amidst utter hopelessness, marked by the
death lament` oI the wintry wind, the spectre grey` Frost, the weakening eye oI day`, the thrush starts singing its
Iull hearted evensong` oI joy illimited`, though the source oI such proIound joy oI the bird is unknown to the poet. It
is the emblem oI Hardy`s optimism Ior the new century going to prevail aIter the old one dies.
o you trace any pessimistic note in the poem?
'The darkling Thrush begins with pessimism but ends in optimism. In the Iirst and second stanzas a note oI
pessimism, marked by the death lament` oI the wintry wind, the spectre grey` Frost, the weakening eye oI day`, is
prevalent. But the Iollowing two stanzas bring Iorth absolute optimism- blessed Hope` marked by the Iull hearted
evensong` oI joy illimited` oI the thrush oI which the poet was unaware.
Comment on the metrical form of the poem.
Composed in Iour octet, or eight-line stanzas, with an ABABCDCD rhyme scheme, "The Darkling Thrush" is written
in iambic tetrameter, with lines one, three, Iive, and seven carrying Iour stressed syllables, and lines two, Iour, six, and
eight carrying three stressed syllables.
Comment on the diction of the poem.
Hardy called words created Ior a single occasion "nonce words," and in "The Darkling Thrush" he uses a Iew,
including "outleant," "blast beruIIled," and "spectre-gray" to Iit the meter and rhyme scheme oI the poem. The
careIully chosen words like dregs ("the cloudy canopy"'tangled bine-stems 'strings oI broken lyres weakening eye
oI day, perIectly portray the prevalent gloom in the poem contrasted with Iull hearted evensong` oI joy illimited` oI
the thrush.
Sourav Nag.