The Darkling Thrush - Thomas Hardy [1840-1928]
Relevant Background * The poet Thomas Hardy was born near Dorchester in England. * He is also famous for writing novels. * Hardy gained a love of music from his father. Music is a prominent feature of ‘The Darkling Thrush’. * Hardy gained his interest in literature from his mother. * At the age of 22 Hardy moved to London and started to write poems. These early poems praised country life. Yet Hardy didn’t publish his poems until he was 58. He was 60 when he wrote this poem. * Hardy wrote over 900 poems in his lifetime. * Hardy’s poems are straight to the point and sometimes gloomy in outlook. In this poem he finds a source of hope when a thrush suddenly starts to sing. * Hardy’s most common theme is about the way people struggle against fate. * Hardy's themes also include rural life and nature, love, change, time, loss and death. * Hardy’s tone is usually ironic; that is he sees the unexpected twists and surprises of life. The twist in this poem is that when the poet was in a sad mood due to winter a weak old thrush caused him to feel hope. * Most of Hardy’s poetry is relatively simple and yet skilful. However, some of his poetic writing can be difficult due to old-fashioned words and phrases. * Hardy loves to think in surprising images that appeal to the reader’s intelligence. * Hardy’s poems tend to be descriptive, lyrical, and regular in form. He is a poet who likes even lines and a set rhyme scheme. We see this in ‘The Darkling Thrush’. * It is very important to note that in this poem the poet is alone and is enjoying his loneliness. He is experiencing a type of sweet sorrow. He is gloomy but he likes being gloomy. He has chosen his spot at the gate, and opted not to go inside. * He soaks up the mysterious gloomy atmosphere and listens first to the wind and