The Solitary Huntsman
The Solitary Huntsman - meaning Summary
Relentless, Futile Pursuit
Nash’s poem depicts a lone, midnight huntsman who pursues foxes with tireless, silent determination. The repeated vow to "put him in a box and never let him go" becomes a refrain for possessive obsession and the human drive to capture and control. The chase stretches from a morning to a lifetime, suggesting futility, repetition, and a joyless compulsion that persists despite time and effort.
Read Complete AnalysesThe solitary huntsman No coat of pink doth wear, But midnight black from cap to spur Upon his midnight mare. He drones a tuneless jingle In lieu of tally-ho: “I’ll catch a fox And put him in a box And never let him go.” The solitary huntsman, He follows silent hounds. No horn proclaims his joyless sport, And never a hoofbeat sounds. His hundred hounds, his thousands, Their master’s will they know: To catch a fox And put him in a box And never let him go. For all the fox’s doubling They track him to his den. The chase may fill a morning, Or threescore years and ten. The huntsman never sated Screaks to his saddlebow, “I’ll catch another fox And put him in a box And never let him go.”
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