Split the Lark and You’ll Find the Music

Split the Lark and You’ll Find the Music - meaning Summary

Hidden Music in Nature

The poem argues that a bird’s song is an intrinsic, discoverable essence rather than a mere accident. Addressing a skeptic, the speaker imagines splitting a lark or unleashing a flood to reveal music or meaning layered like bulbs or gushes—abundant, orderly, and intentionally preserved. The images insist that nature stores its gifts for the attentive listener and that apparent mystery can be shown to be real and deliberate. The closing apostrophe to "Sceptic Thomas" frames the poem as a challenge to doubt and a celebration of evidence seen and heard.