The Owl
I'm writing an essay for one my classes on the sonic effects in Edward Thomas's "The Owl" (ca. 1917) and thought I'd post the poem here. Notice Thomas's inclusion of the poor in his last line. Perhaps it's a product of the times in which we live, but the equation of soldiers and poor people struck me as noteworthy.
The Owl
Downhill I came, hungry, and yet
not starved;
Cold, yet had heat within me that
was proof
Against the North winds; tired,
yet so that rest
Had seemed the sweetest thing
under a roof.
Then at the inn I had food, fire,
and rest,
Knowing how hungry, cold, and
tired was I.
All of the night was quite barred
out except
An owl’s cry, a most melancholy
cry
Shaken out long and clear upon the
hill,
No merry note, nor cause of
merriment,
But one telling me plain what I
escaped
And others could not, that night,
as in I went.
And salted was my food, and my
repose,
Salted and sobered, too, by the
bird’s voice
Speaking for all who lay under the
stars,
Soldiers and poor, unable to
rejoice.
Comments
Wow. This is an incredible & humble little poem. Thanks for sharing it!
Posted by: A. J. Patrick Liszkiewicz | September 28, 2005 05:06 PM
All of the night was quite barred out except
An owl’s cry...
That word "barred" is so resonant..as in blocked, but also as in "barred owl," as in musical notation, and as in "bard."
I agree with AJPL--This is a great poem, and I like how it moves on its conjunctions. Thanks for sharing it.
Posted by: Pamela | September 28, 2005 06:14 PM
This may be stating the obvious, but the first thing that strikes me about the poem is that it was written during the First World War. And I think that context makes clear why Thomas wrote the poem, and explains his equation of "soldiers and poor" in the last line.
I don't think it's just a product of the times in which we live that you found this noteworthy. I think Thomas intended the comparison, or equation, or the simple juxtaposition, because of the nature of the times he lived in as well. The poem is, most of all, about death in war, and about who it is (mostly) who dies.
Posted by: Lyle Daggett | September 28, 2005 10:14 PM
AJ, glad you liked it!
Pamela, you don't happen to know the MLA standard for citing blog comments in a paper, do you? ;-) By the way, I'm thoroughly enjoying my Henry James course. So far we've read Daisy Miller, The Portrait of a Lady, The Altar of the Dead, and The Author of Beltraffio. I can't believe I'm allowed to have this much fun and call it work!
Lyle, I haven't read a ton of WWI poetry, but of the poets who come immediately to mind--Rupert Brooke, Wilfred Owen, Sigfried Sassoon, Isaac Rosenberg--I don't recall any who made this particular comparision. But if they're out there, I'd love to hear about them!
Posted by: Ginger | September 29, 2005 07:44 AM
I knew you'd like the Henry James seminar. I'm re-reading The Turn of the Screw this week.
Posted by: Pamela | September 29, 2005 02:37 PM