Ultima Thule: the Windmill
Ultima Thule: the Windmill - meaning Summary
Windmill's Proud Voice
The poem speaks in the voice of a windmill that boasts of its strength and central role in rural life. It describes grinding grain, watching the harvest, and roaring when the wind fills its sails. The windmill acknowledges dependence on the miller who tends it, yet claims pride and mastery over the fields. The final image of Sunday rest and church bells introduces calm, ritual pause after labor.
Read Complete AnalysesBehold! a giant am I! Aloft here in my tower, With my granite jaws I devour The maize, and the wheat, and the rye, And grind them into flour. I look down over the farms; In the fields of grain I see The harvest that is to be, And I fling to the air my arms, For I know it is all for me. I hear the sound of flails Far off, from the threshing-floors In barns, with their open doors, And the wind, the wind in my sails, Louder and louder roars. I stand here in my place, With my foot on the rock below, And whichever way it may blow, I meet it face to face, As a brave man meets his foe. And while we wrestle and strive, My master, the miller, stands And feeds me with his hands; For he knows who makes him thrive, Who makes him lord of lands. On Sundays I take my rest; Church-going bells begin Their low, melodious din; I cross my arms on my breast, And all is peace within.
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