For New Year’s eve in my Anthology from Canterbury Press, Waiting on the Word, I have chosen to read Thomas Hardy’s poem ‘The Darkling Thrush’, which was written on New Year’s Eve at the turn from the nineteenth to the twentieth century. Though it begins with Hardy’s characteristically bleak forboding, suddenly the poet in him discerns and allows another note of hope.
You can hear me read this poem by clicking on the title or the play button. The image above was created by Linda Richardson. She writes:
I first heard this poem at school and thought Hardy a very depressing poet. I didn’t have the tenacity to stay with the poem through the bleakness until the hope. When we are not mature we only want laughter and fun and a perpetual summer time. There is no virtue in winter and we avoid pain at all costs. The consequence of this is, not only are we likely to be selfish, but we lack the contrasts that give life depth and meaning. The image I made reflects this theme of contrast.
I made a black and white photo transfer of a small bird in a tangle of twigs and painted the canvas with cold blues and violets. I enhanced the roughness of the surface by applying thread in an acrylic medium to the surface of the painting. Out of the grey coldness of the painting comes the idea of pure and beautiful bird song. If we try to make earth our heaven we will be terribly disappointed, but here, amid the stark grey of winter, comes a song of hope. Annie Dillard, the American writer and poet says, “You do not have to sit outside in the dark. If, however, you want to look at the stars, you will find that darkness is necessary.”
You can find the words, and a short reflective essay on this poem in Waiting on the Word, which is now also available on Kindle
The Darkling Thrush Thomas Hardy
I leant upon a coppice gate
When Frost was spectre-grey,
And Winter’s dregs made desolate
The weakening eye of day.
The tangled bine-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 be
The Century’s corpse outleant,
His crypt the cloudy canopy,
The wind his death-lament.
The ancient pulse of germ and birth
Was shrunken hard and dry,
And every spirit upon earth
Seemed fervourless as I.
At once a voice arose among
The bleak twigs overhead
In a full-hearted evensong
Of joy illimited;
An aged thrush, frail, gaunt, and small,
In 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.
💖 both words and picture. Thanks for these posts I really enjoy the reflections and thoughtfulness. Happy New Year!🎉🎊🎈
Thanks
great poem.. made me weepy ..
As I read today’s selection in my copy of “Waiting” I could hear your voice in my head reciting it nearly from memory in our seminar at the Glen. Thank you for introducing us to this poem; I’ve a mind to try and memorize it myself.
Why have I never read or heard of Thomas Hardy’s poetry?!?! Good grief I was poorer for it. Thank you for sharing this and gifting me with a poet that I couldn’t stop reading all morning.
Yes. He’s great isn’t he. Had a huge influence on Phillip Larkin
Yet another light that hasn’t been shared with me. Any recommended places to start with his poetry?
His last two volumes ‘The Whitsun Weddings’ and ‘High Windows’. If you want to start with an individual poem then start with ‘An Arundel Tomb’. He is bleak like hardy, but beautiful, and just now and then, like Hardy, hope shines through
Thank you.
I think that sadly Hardy never ceased to be “unaware” of the reality of the Hope, which makes the ending rather bleak.