The Birds
The Birds - meaning Summary
Courtship in Pastoral Song
A short dramatic dialogue presents two birds in a pastoral courtship. The male asks where the female lives; she answers with images of a lone tree, morning tears, and evening winds. Both move from sorrow and distant longing to consolation and the promise of union. Nature functions as mirror and refuge: grief is public yet soothed by companionship, and the poem ends in hopeful flight toward shared shelter among leaves and blossoms.
Read Complete AnalysesHe. Where thou dwellest, in what grove, Tell me Fair One, tell me Love; Where thou thy charming nest dost build, O thou pride of every field! She. Yonder stands a lonely tree, There I live and mourn for thee; Morning drinks my silent tear, And evening winds my sorrow bear. He. O thou summer's harmony, I have liv'd and mourn'd for thee; Each day I mourn along the wood, And night hath heard my sorrows loud. She. Dost thou truly long for me? And am I thus sweet to thee? Sorrow now is at an end, O my Lover and my Friend! He. Come, on wings of joy we'll fly To where my bower hangs on high; Come, and make thy calm retreat Among green leaves and blossoms sweet.
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