'Fern Hill' by Dylan Thomas
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
Deaths and Entrances1946Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,The night above the dingle starry,Time let me hail and climbGolden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leavesTrail with daisies and barleyDown the rivers of the windfall light.And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,In the sun that is young once only,Time let me play and beGolden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,And the sabbath rang slowlyIn the pebbles of the holy streams.All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was airAnd playing, lovely and wateryAnd fire green as grass.And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjarsFlying with the ricks, and the horsesFlashing into the dark.And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white
With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was allShining, it was Adam and maiden,The sky gathered againAnd the sun grew round that very day.
So it must have been after the birth of the simple light
In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warmOut of the whinnying green stableOn to the fields of praise.And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house
Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,In the sun born over and over,I ran my heedless ways,My wishes raced through the house high hay
And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows
In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songsBefore the children green and goldenFollow him out of grace.Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time wouldtake me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,In the moon that is always rising,Nor that riding to sleepI should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,Time held me green and dyingThough I sang in my chains like the sea.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Exploring the Immortal Beauty of Nature in "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas
When you read "Fern Hill" by Dylan Thomas, you cannot help but marvel at the sheer beauty and power of nature. It is as if the Welsh poet's words transcend time and space, taking you on an unforgettable journey through the lush green fields, the rolling hills, and the roaring sea. You feel like a child again, innocent and carefree, playing in the sun-drenched meadows and chasing after the wind. And yet, there is a sense of melancholy and nostalgia that permeates the poem, reminding you of the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death.
The Poem's Structure and Language
At first glance, "Fern Hill" might seem like a simple pastoral poem that celebrates the joys of youth and the beauty of the countryside. However, a closer analysis reveals a more complex and nuanced work of art. The poem consists of six stanzas, each with nine lines, and follows an irregular rhyme scheme that varies from stanza to stanza. The language is rich and evocative, full of vivid images and metaphors that capture the sensory and emotional experience of the speaker.
Thomas employs a range of literary devices such as alliteration, assonance, personification, and enjambment to create a musical and rhythmic flow that mimics the natural world. For example, in the first stanza, he uses alliteration to convey the sense of motion and energy:
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.
The repetition of the "s" and "h" sounds in "starry," "heydays," and "honoured" creates a sense of movement and excitement, as if the speaker is reliving a glorious past. The use of enjambment, where the sentence flows from one line to the next without pause, adds to the feeling of momentum and fluidity.
The Themes of Youth, Time, and Mortality
One of the central themes of "Fern Hill" is the celebration of youth and innocence. The speaker recalls his childhood days spent on the farm, where he was "prince of the apple towns" and could "run as freely as the wild sweet deer." He remembers the joy of playing with his cousins, the thrill of climbing trees, and the wonder of exploring the natural world. The images that Thomas uses to describe this idyllic world are full of vitality and color:
And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,
And the sabbath rang slowly
In the pebbles of the holy streams.
The use of the word "golden" twice in this stanza emphasizes the speaker's sense of youthful exuberance and optimism. He feels like he is in sync with the natural world, where everything is alive and vibrant.
However, the poem also acknowledges the passage of time and the inevitability of mortality. The speaker realizes that he can never go back to those carefree days of his youth, and that the world around him is constantly changing:
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
The image of the sea, with its vastness and power, suggests both the beauty and the terror of life. The speaker may be "singing" like the sea, but he is also "chained" to the inevitability of death. The repetition of the word "green," which is associated with youth and life, emphasizes the speaker's awareness of his own mortality.
The Poem's Christian Imagery and Symbolism
Another important aspect of "Fern Hill" is the use of Christian imagery and symbolism. The poem begins with the image of the "night above the dingle starry," which evokes the idea of a divine, transcendent realm. The speaker seems to be in awe of the beauty and majesty of the natural world, and sees it as a reflection of something greater:
And I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means.
The phrase "mercy of his means" suggests a sense of grace and benevolence that is associated with the Christian God. The speaker seems to be grateful for the gift of life and the opportunity to experience the beauty of the world.
The poem also includes several references to biblical stories and symbols, such as the "huntsman and herdsman" who is reminiscent of the biblical figure of David, and the "apple towns" that evoke the Garden of Eden. The image of the "pebbles of the holy streams" suggests a sense of purity and sanctity that is associated with baptism and spiritual rebirth.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "Fern Hill" is a rich and complex poem that celebrates the beauty and power of nature, while also acknowledging the passage of time and the inevitability of death. The language is vivid and musical, full of sensory and emotional imagery that captures the speaker's sense of wonder and nostalgia. The poem also includes Christian imagery and symbolism, which adds a spiritual and transcendent dimension to the work. Dylan Thomas was a master of language and a visionary poet who could capture the essence of life in all its beauty and complexity. "Fern Hill" is a testament to his genius and his enduring legacy.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Fern Hill: A Masterpiece of Dylan Thomas
Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, is known for his unique style of writing that is full of vivid imagery, complex metaphors, and musicality. His poem "Fern Hill" is a classic example of his poetic genius. This poem is a celebration of childhood innocence, the beauty of nature, and the inevitability of time. In this article, we will analyze and explain the poem "Fern Hill" in detail.
The poem "Fern Hill" is divided into six stanzas, each consisting of nine lines. The poem is written in free verse, which means that it does not follow a strict rhyme scheme or meter. However, the poem has a musical quality due to the use of alliteration, assonance, and repetition.
The poem begins with the speaker reminiscing about his childhood days spent at Fern Hill, a farm in Wales. The speaker describes the farm as a place of beauty and innocence, where he was free to roam and play. The first stanza sets the tone of the poem, which is nostalgic and wistful.
The second stanza of the poem describes the natural beauty of Fern Hill. The speaker uses vivid imagery to describe the landscape, which is full of "green and golden" fields, "apple orchards" and "honeyed vines." The use of alliteration and repetition in this stanza creates a musical effect that adds to the beauty of the description.
In the third stanza, the speaker describes the animals that he encountered at Fern Hill. He talks about the "lambs" that he played with and the "cattle" that he watched grazing in the fields. The speaker's love for nature is evident in this stanza, as he describes the animals with great affection.
The fourth stanza of the poem is where the tone of the poem changes. The speaker realizes that he is no longer a child and that time has passed. He describes how he used to "shout and be joyful" but now he is "silent and sad." The use of contrast in this stanza highlights the speaker's realization that he can never go back to the innocence of his childhood.
The fifth stanza of the poem is a reflection on the passage of time. The speaker talks about how time "bends" and "breaks" everything, including the beauty of nature. He describes how the "sun" and the "moon" are "gone" and how the "stars" have "drowned" in the sky. The use of metaphor in this stanza creates a sense of melancholy and loss.
The final stanza of the poem is a reflection on the inevitability of death. The speaker talks about how he will eventually "die" and how his childhood memories will be "buried" with him. However, he also acknowledges that his memories will live on in the "green grass" and the "apple orchards" of Fern Hill. The use of repetition in this stanza creates a sense of finality and acceptance.
Overall, "Fern Hill" is a masterpiece of Dylan Thomas. The poem is a celebration of childhood innocence, the beauty of nature, and the inevitability of time. The use of vivid imagery, complex metaphors, and musicality creates a sense of nostalgia and melancholy that is both beautiful and haunting. The poem is a reminder that time is fleeting and that we should cherish the moments of beauty and innocence in our lives.
Editor Recommended Sites
Coin Alerts - App alerts on price action moves & RSI / MACD and rate of change alerts: Get alerts on when your coins move so you can sell them when they pumpTypescript Book: The best book on learning typescript programming language and react
Changelog - Dev Change Management & Dev Release management: Changelog best practice for developers
Knowledge Graph Ops: Learn maintenance and operations for knowledge graphs in cloud
Dev Flowcharts: Flow charts and process diagrams, architecture diagrams for cloud applications and cloud security. Mermaid and flow diagrams
Recommended Similar Analysis
Holy Thursday (Experience) by William Blake analysisTears by Walt Whitman analysis
The Rose Tree by William Butler Yeats analysis
From The 'Antigone' by William Butler Yeats analysis
Love 's Philosophy by Percy Bysshe Shelley analysis
A Refusal To Mourn The Death, By Fire, Of A Child In London by Dylan Thomas analysis
Meditations In Time Of Civil War by William Butler Yeats analysis
The Voice Of The Ancient Bard by William Blake analysis
My Star by Robert Browning analysis
Hannibal by Robert Frost analysis