tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post4582273478268418788..comments2024-03-23T20:37:37.891-07:00Comments on First Known When Lost: RobinsStephen Pentzhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-77198351023555343582015-12-18T21:12:36.700-08:002015-12-18T21:12:36.700-08:00Mr. Floyd: Thank you very much for Dickinson'...Mr. Floyd: Thank you very much for Dickinson's poem, which is a perfect complement to the other poems. I completely agree with you that the third stanza is "remarkable." "Home -- and Certainty/And Sanctity, are best" is wonderful!<br /><br />Thank you for all of the poems and thoughts that you have shared throughout the past year, which I greatly appreciate. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-56563302659400815742015-12-18T21:07:45.137-08:002015-12-18T21:07:45.137-08:00R. T.: Thank you for the follow-up thoughts. And...R. T.: Thank you for the follow-up thoughts. And thank you for your continuing presence here. I wish you the best in the coming New Year.Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-32394607566763297632015-12-18T09:05:31.715-08:002015-12-18T09:05:31.715-08:00Emily Dickinson knew her birds, and her flowers. O...Emily Dickinson knew her birds, and her flowers. One of her favorite birds, as it is with most of us graced by their presence, is the robin. Dickinson had a genius for concluding her poems. This poem reflects this gift. I don't know how exactly the first two stanzas lead to the remarkable third, but they do, without my quibbling. (Keats's "negative capability"?) How Dickinsonian to say that the robin says most when it is silent.<br /><br /><br />The Robin is the One<br />That interrupt the Morn<br />With hurried—few—express Reports<br />When March is scarcely on—<br /><br />The Robin is the One<br />That overflow the Noon<br />With her cherubic quantity—<br />An April but begun—<br /><br />The Robin is the One<br />That speechless from her Nest<br />Submit that Home—and Certainty<br />And Sanctity, are best <br /><br /> <br />Emily Dickinsonbruce floydnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-20973020170890480752015-12-18T08:39:25.296-08:002015-12-18T08:39:25.296-08:00Bovey Belle: Thank you for Hardy's poem. I a...Bovey Belle: Thank you for Hardy's poem. I agree with your comments on it. Coincidentally, I had thought about using it in the post, but I have always found it too sad. And, as you say, it is not one of his best. Nevertheless, I am happy that you shared it, since it will now appear here in any event.<br /><br />I appreciate your observations on robins -- your point about them being flitters rather than fliers is an excellent one. As to their early morning habits, I've always presumed that the proverbial saying "The early bird gets the worm" was based upon the behavior of robins, but I don't know that for a fact.<br /><br />As for Herrick's resting place: he lies in the churchyard of St George the Martyr in Dean Prior, Devon. (He served as vicar in Dean Prior for many years.) You can find an image of his grave on the Internet on the "Find a Grave" site. A simple dark stone, laid on the ground, set in a green lawn. I imagine that the robins visit often. Lovely.<br /><br />As ever, I greatly appreciate hearing from you. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-86062205577797171442015-12-18T08:25:58.355-08:002015-12-18T08:25:58.355-08:00Merry Christmas, Stephen. Remember that the welcom...Merry Christmas, Stephen. Remember that the welcome mat is out and the door is always open at Beyond Eastrod. RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-20165125239991375152015-12-18T08:22:51.792-08:002015-12-18T08:22:51.792-08:00R. T.: Yes, robins were an important part of chil...R. T.: Yes, robins were an important part of childhood for many of us, weren't they? Along with, for me at least, sparrows and blue jays. All of them "commonplace" (in a sense), but all of them, as you suggest, very evocative, and sticking with us through our lives.<br /><br />Thank you very much for stopping by again, and for sharing your thoughts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-68232699130751559292015-12-18T08:17:14.461-08:002015-12-18T08:17:14.461-08:00Mary: A chilly time of the year for a robin to ta...Mary: A chilly time of the year for a robin to take a bath, particularly in your part of the country! That shows how hardy they are. Thank you for the lines from Blake, which fit perfectly here.<br /><br />Thank you very much for your visits and comments throughout the year. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-69324905040188901672015-12-18T08:12:27.174-08:002015-12-18T08:12:27.174-08:00Sam Vega: Thank you very much for the information...Sam Vega: Thank you very much for the information on the distinctive character of the English robin. They sound charming! I particularly like the association they have with the English love of gardening. Your anecdote about one taking a worm from between the tines is wonderful. I do like the idea of them wanting human company on "dark winter afternoons." As you say, they do sound "lovable."<br /><br />Yes, the de la Mare poem is lovely, isn't it? As I mentioned in my response to Mr Medlin's comment, de la Mare's poems on the natural world are excellent. As I'm sure you recall, in a memorial poem to his friend Edward Thomas ("Sotto Voce"), he adversely compares his knowledge of bird calls ("my ignorant wonderment") to Thomas's. But I think that his knowledge of the natural world was vast. He is particularly good on birds of all sorts, I think.<br /><br />We have not yet had any snow scenery as a backdrop for the robins -- just nearly constant wind and rain for the past three weeks, which I'm sure they are not happy about.<br /><br />As always, thank you very much for visiting, and for your thoughts. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-8777656135914816332015-12-18T07:46:32.359-08:002015-12-18T07:46:32.359-08:00Mr Medlin: Thank you very much for visiting again...Mr Medlin: Thank you very much for visiting again, and for your kind words about the post. Yes, Daniel's poem is wonderful, isn't it? As you say, it is fine both overall, and in its particulars. I was delighted when I came across it in Geoffrey Grigson's anthology The Faber Book of Reflective Verse. It also appears in Grierson's 1934 Oxford Book of Seventeenth Century Verse. I particularly like: "I am instructed by thy harmony,/To sing the time's uncertainty,/Safe in my self." Also: "Poor pious elf." I was unfamiliar with George Daniel as well. If you are interested in looking into his poetry further, Grosart's edition (cited in the post) may be found in the Internet Archive.<br /><br />Thank you for the comment on de la Mare's line "Stone clapped on stone." I wondered about that, and I presumed that it had something to do with the robin's vocalizations. Hence, I did an Internet search for recordings of English robins, but I was not able to find the sound. Your comment clarifies that I was headed in the right direction. I'll search further. As you know, de la Mare is always marvelous at catching the details of the natural world perfectly, and transforming them imaginatively.<br /><br />Thank you again. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!Stephen Pentzhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14882220887712092005noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-56966755544251301442015-12-17T09:21:18.939-08:002015-12-17T09:21:18.939-08:00The Robin by Thomas Hardy
When up aloft
I fly and...The Robin by Thomas Hardy<br /><br />When up aloft<br />I fly and fly,<br />I see in pools<br />The shining sky,<br />And a happy bird<br />Am I, am I!<br /> <br />When I descend<br />Toward the brink<br />I stand and look<br />And stop and drink<br />And bathe my wings,<br />And chink, and prink.<br /> <br />When winter frost<br />Makes earth as steel,<br />I search and search<br />But find no meal,<br />And most unhappy<br />Then I feel.<br /> <br />But when it lasts,<br />And snows still fall,<br />I get to feel<br />No grief at all<br />For I turn to a cold, stiff<br />Feathery ball!<br /><br />Hardy, ahem, perhaps NOT at his best here, especially as he seems to have amalgamated the soaring flight of a Swallow, with sound of the the Chaffinch's prink, prink (or the Blackbird's, come to that, and I've never seen a Robin drinking . . .), and then kills the poor Robin off completely! A bit tongue in cheek here, Mr Hardy.<br /><br />I far prefer Walter de la Mare's poems, as Robins are wont to flit from bush to bush (rather than soaring and looking at PONDS!) and I have to say the nosy-parker Robin is always first up (and demanding breakfast with his call) and last to bed, lest he miss anything. My garden ones here were still trilling at dawn and dusk until late November.<br /><br />I hope Robert Herrick was granted his wish . . .<br /><br />Thank you for the useful links, as ever. My brain is ticking over nicely again. <br /><br />Bovey Bellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13117332471600275100noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-91139978373789237452015-12-17T06:24:27.915-08:002015-12-17T06:24:27.915-08:00Yes, Stephen, I also recall the robin as a central...Yes, Stephen, I also recall the robin as a central symbol of my youth in the northeast. Spring and robins were synonyms. Thanks for the posting, the poems, and the catalyst for memories of times that were (at least in recollections) better and happier.RTDhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17113953356514605424noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-38888009895896828722015-12-17T05:36:11.411-08:002015-12-17T05:36:11.411-08:00I enjoyed this so - thank you! Just the other day ...I enjoyed this so - thank you! Just the other day a lady robin or perhaps a juvenile enjoyed a bath in our back yard birdbath. Robins seem to be one of the most enthusiastic of bathers! <br />From William Blake -<br /><br />A Robin Redbreast in a Cage<br />Puts all Heaven in a Rage<br /><br />Marymary f.ahearnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-47588664251006824372015-12-17T04:14:19.734-08:002015-12-17T04:14:19.734-08:00Many thanks for these. The first de la Mare poem ...Many thanks for these. The first de la Mare poem in particular - it is quite superb.<br /><br />I had to look up the American robin. As you say, it is quite a different bird from the "originals" we have here. I have also heard that British robins have a slightly different <i>character</i> from the mainland European ones of the same species. Here, they are almost fearless, and love to approach people digging in gardens and allotments. Often, I have been digging and a robin has taken a worm literally from between the tines of the fork. They also seem to take pleasure from just sitting near to people and having human company in the dark winter afternoons - but I suppose this is to anthropomorphise them a bit too much. Apparently, this characteristic of British robins is due to us being a nation of gardeners, and the birds have been lured in close to food sources. I don't know if there is any truth in this at all, but they are certainly lovable for it.<br /><br />I hope your winter is providing a suitable setting for your robins. Here (I have recently moved to Cambridge, UK) it is extremely mild and we have yet to have a serious frost. Spring flowers are already appearing. Sam Vegahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05978971199859845931noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5010170380967519230.post-83066748208204980202015-12-17T04:05:58.207-08:002015-12-17T04:05:58.207-08:00I must say, George Daniel's poem 'The Robi...I must say, George Daniel's poem 'The Robin' is a real find. The observations were accurate, the sentiments truthful and the handling of form impressive. Embarrassingly, I do not think I had heard of George Daniel before, and I thought I knew my poetry. I looked him up in the UK's 'Dictionary of National Biography' (a treasure trove) and it blew rather hot and cold about his poetic abilities. It is interesting to note that he lived the classic life of a rural country gentleman of the 17th century - retired, studious, perhaps not so efficient in the management of his estate, but with the benefit of a classical education and so able to turn out a set of verses which would shame the fumblings of so many our lauded contemporary 'poets'. But I must not be pejorative.<br /> I also enjoyed the ever-reliable Walter de la Mare's 'A Robin'. His image for the typical clattering rattle the UK robin makes as a warning, "Stone clapped on stone," was spot-on. <br /> Coincidentally, I have studied the robins in the gardens and woods around my house over the past few years and all the poems you have quoted in this post capture their mannerisms and essence (in so far as we can know the essence of a wild creature) convincingly. Many thanks for this post!John Medlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13895129397891151844noreply@blogger.com