'Fern Hill' by Dylan Thomas

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Now 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 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.

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.

All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air
And playing, lovely and watery
And 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 nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing 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 all
Shining, it was Adam and maiden,
The sky gathered again
And 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 warm
Out of the whinnying green stable
On 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 songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace.

Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would
take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I 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 dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Fern Hill by Dylan Thomas: An Ode to Youth and Nature

Fern Hill is a lyrical poem that evokes the beauty of youth and nature while exploring themes of time and mortality. Written by Dylan Thomas, a Welsh poet considered one of the greatest of the 20th century, this classic poem is a masterpiece of language and imagery that captures the essence of a fleeting moment and the cycle of life.

The Poetic Form and Structure

Fern Hill is a free-verse poem with no apparent rhyme scheme or stanzaic structure. It consists of six stanzas of varying length, ranging from two to twelve lines. The poem is written in the first person and uses a stream-of-consciousness style, with the speaker's thoughts and memories flowing freely from one image to the next.

The Poetic Language and Imagery

The language of Fern Hill is rich, vivid, and musical, with a strong emphasis on sound and rhythm. Thomas uses a variety of poetic techniques, such as alliteration, assonance, and repetition, to create a sense of musicality and harmony. For example, in the first stanza, the repeated use of the "s" sound in "seasons of mists and mellow fruitfulness" creates a sense of languidness and tranquility.

Thomas's imagery is also striking and powerful, filled with natural and pastoral images that evoke a sense of wonder and enchantment. For example, in the second stanza, the speaker describes the "green and golden" world of Fern Hill, where "time let me hail and climb / Golden in the heydays of his eyes." The image of the green and golden world is both vivid and dreamlike, evoking a sense of nostalgia and longing for a lost paradise.

The Themes and Meanings

At its core, Fern Hill is a poem about the fleeting nature of youth and the inevitability of mortality. The speaker's memories of his childhood on Fern Hill are suffused with a sense of joy and wonder, but they are also tinged with a sense of sadness and regret. The poem suggests that the beauty and innocence of youth are fragile and ephemeral, and that they are inevitably lost as time marches on.

The poem also explores the relationship between human beings and the natural world. Thomas portrays nature as a force of both beauty and violence, capable of both nurturing life and destroying it. The natural imagery in the poem is both idyllic and threatening, suggesting that nature is both a source of wonder and a reminder of our own mortality.

The Poet's Personal Connection

Dylan Thomas was born in Wales in 1914 and spent much of his childhood in the countryside. Fern Hill is believed to be based on his memories of his grandmother's farm in Carmarthenshire, which he visited frequently as a child. The poem is deeply personal and reflects Thomas's own love of nature and his sense of loss at the passing of time.

Closing Thoughts

Fern Hill is a lyrical masterpiece that captures the essence of youth and nature with stunning imagery and musical language. It is a poem that speaks to the human condition and the struggle to come to terms with the passage of time and the inevitability of mortality. Thomas's skillful use of language and imagery create a timeless work that continues to resonate with readers today.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Fern Hill: A Celebration of Youth and Innocence

Dylan Thomas' Fern Hill is a classic poem that celebrates the beauty and innocence of youth. The poem is a nostalgic reflection on the poet's childhood memories of Fern Hill, a farm in Wales where he spent his summers. The poem is filled with vivid imagery and metaphors that capture the essence of youth and the passage of time.

The poem is divided into six stanzas, each with nine lines. The first stanza sets the tone for the rest of the poem, with the poet describing the farm as a "green and golden" place where he was "young and easy" and "the apple boughs / Lulled me to sleep." The imagery of the apple boughs is particularly powerful, as it evokes a sense of comfort and security that is associated with childhood.

The second stanza continues the theme of youth and innocence, with the poet describing how he "wandered under the apple boughs" and "as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns / About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home." The use of the word "famous" is interesting, as it suggests that the poet was well-known and respected among the people who lived on the farm. This is a reflection of the poet's own sense of self-importance as a child, and his belief that he was the center of the world.

The third stanza introduces the theme of time and the passage of youth. The poet describes how "time let me hail and climb / Golden in the heydays of his eyes." The use of the word "heydays" is significant, as it suggests that the poet is aware that his youth is fleeting and that he must make the most of it while he can. The image of time as a person with "golden eyes" is also interesting, as it suggests that time is both beautiful and powerful.

The fourth stanza continues the theme of time and the passage of youth, with the poet describing how "In the sun that is young once only, / Time let me play and be / Golden in the mercy of his means." The use of the word "mercy" is significant, as it suggests that the poet is aware that his youth is a gift that he has been given by time. The image of the sun as "young once only" is also interesting, as it suggests that the poet is aware that his youth is a fleeting moment in time.

The fifth stanza introduces the theme of death and the end of youth. The poet describes how "In the moon that is always rising, / Nor that riding to sleep / I should hear him fly with the high fields / And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land." The use of the word "childless" is significant, as it suggests that the poet is aware that his youth is a time of innocence and that he will never be able to recapture that innocence once it is gone. The image of the moon as "always rising" is also interesting, as it suggests that death is a constant presence in the poet's life.

The final stanza brings the poem to a close, with the poet reflecting on the beauty and innocence of his youth. The poet describes how "Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me / Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand, / In the moon that is always rising, / Nor that riding to sleep / I should hear him fly with the high fields / And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land." The use of the word "nothing" is significant, as it suggests that the poet is aware that his youth was a time of innocence and that he will never be able to recapture that innocence once it is gone.

In conclusion, Fern Hill is a classic poem that celebrates the beauty and innocence of youth. The poem is filled with vivid imagery and metaphors that capture the essence of youth and the passage of time. The poem is a nostalgic reflection on the poet's childhood memories of Fern Hill, a farm in Wales where he spent his summers. The poem is a celebration of the beauty and innocence of youth, and a reminder that time is fleeting and that we must make the most of the time that we have.

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