-- - - - -- - - - - UNIT 15 THOMAS HARDY AND ROBERT BRIDGES Structure Objectives Introduction Thomas Hardy : fife and Works The Darkling Thrush 15.3.1 Poem 15.3.2 Glossary 15.3.3 Discussion God-Forgotten 15.4.1 Poem 15.4.2 Glossary 15.4.3 Discuss~on Robert Bridges : Life and Works Nightingales 15.6.1 Poem 15.6.2 Glossary 15.6.3 Discussion Let Us Sum Up Suggested Reading Answers to Exercises After reading this Unit carefully, you will be able to: describe the life and works of Thomas Hardy and Robert Bridges; outline the themes of 'The Darkling Thrush', 'God-Forgotten' and 'Nightingales'; explain the poetic techniques of Hardy and Bridges; compare and contrast their poems. 15.1 INTRODUCTION We have now come to the last Unit in this block. The three previous units dealt with the poems of three eminent Victorians i.e. Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning and Matthew Arnold. We have discussed a few poems by each of them and this has given us an idea about the poetry that they wrote. Alfred Tennyson, as we saw, wrote narrative poems -celebrated for their vivid imagery and sheer verbal music. Browning, also an extremely ' lyrical poet, perfected the dramatic monologue. Arnold. on the other hand, is primarily an elegiac poet and his works have the pervasive melancholy that the last quarter of the nineteenth century witnessed. Now we sh'all discuss two more poets who in a way, provide a transition to the twentieth century. They do not properly fit under the category 'Victorian' for though they did write during Queen Victoria's reign, they were also writing in the early twentieth century. We have selected two short poems from Hardy and one from Bridges. Let us See how they are similar or different in style and technique. Do please complete the exercises before going on to the next section., 15.2 THOMAS HARDY : LIFE AND WORKS Thomas Hardy was born at Higher Bockhampton near Dorchester on 2nd June, 1840. He began his education in the village school and later attended the school at Dorchester. At sixteen, he was apprenticed to Dorchester architect. John Hicks. Six years later he became assistant architect to Arthur Blomfield in London. In 1867, he returned to assist Hicks and began writing his first novel which is now lost. What follows is a long and fruitful career first as novelist and then as poet. When Jude the Obscure (1896) evoked bitter critical response, Hardy decided to write no more novels. He received many honours and much acclaim for his work in hi? later years. He died on 11 January, 1928. His ashes are buried in the Poet's Comer at Westminster Abbey and his heart in the grave of his first wife at Stinsford. THOMAS HARDY ,Poems Wessex Poems and Other Verse (1 898) Poems of the Past and Present ( 1901) Time's Laughingstocks and Other Verse ( 1909) Satires of Circumstance (including Poems of 1912- 13) ( 1914) Moments of Vision ( 1917) Late Lyrics and Earlier (1 922) Human Shows ( 1925) Winter Words. ( 1928) . 15.3 THE DARKLING THRUSH As we know, Hardy has the unique distinction of being a major poet and a major novelist. Those of you who opted for Elective English Course (EEG 05) 'Understanding Prose' will recollect having read his novel The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886). In his novels he integrates his stories into the natural background against which they are set. This same kind of integration is also camed out in his poetry. The poet's state of mind is often projected on to the outside world. In 'The Darkling Thrush' the gloomy landscape seems gloomier. Hardy is in a pessimistic mood. The thrush is the only cheerful crepture around him but even the bird's song fails to inspire cheer in him. This poem was first published on Dec. 3 1, 1900. England is usually cold and grey around this time and the passage of the old year may well have evoked nostalgia in the poet. The poem appeared in an anthology in 1902. h?us now read the poem. 15.3.1 Poem THE DARKLING THRUSH ( 1902) 1 leaned upon a coppice gate a When Frost was specter-gray, b And Winter's dregs made desolate a The weakening eye of day. b Tbomm Hardy and Robert Bridgc8 The tangled vine-stems scpred the sky c Like strings from broken lyres, d And all mankind that haunted nigh c Had sought their household fires. d The land's sharp features seemed to be Thecentury's corpseoutleant; His crypt the cloudy canopy The wind his death-lament. The ancient pulse of germ and birth Was shrunken hard and dry, And every spirit upon earth Seemed fervorless as I. At once a voice burst forth among The bleak twigs overhead In a full-hearted evensong Of joy unlimited; An aged thrush, frai1,gaunt and small, In blast-beruflled plume, Has chosen thus to fling his soul Upon the growing gloom. So little cause for carolings Of such ecstatic sound Was written on terrestrial things Afar or nigh around. That I could think there trembled through ,' His happy good-night air Some blessed hope, whereof he knew And 1 was unaware. 15.3.2 Glossary -? coppice :a small wood specter-gray : gray like a ghost dregs :literally, remains. Here it means that in winter it becomes dark quickly. ' weakening eye of day : fading light of the day vine-stems : stalks of creeping plants scored the sky :could be seen against the sky lyres : stringed musical instrument like a harp haunted nigh : lived nearby sought their household fires z returned to the comfort of their homes. century's corpse : As this poem was written on Dec. 3 1, 1900 a whole century had passed outleant : at rest. He is referring in this and the following lines to the 'death' of the nineteenth century, as the new year 1901 approaches. crypt : burial place or chapel under the church canopy : literally, the covering over a throne or bed; here the sky. wind his death-lament :the wind is singing a dirge or funeral song at the passing away of the year. germ :seed fervorless :lacking in warmth and happiness. \ 3 Victorian Poetry bleak twigs : dull and dry branches full-hearted evensong :energetic and impassioned evening song unlimited -:unrestrained gaunt : lean and haggard/grim/desolate looking blast-beruMed plume : its feathers ruffled in the wind fling his soul :express himself with great feeling growing gloom :increasing darkness carolings :songs ecstatic :joyous terrestrial :earthly The first question that one might well ask is: Who is the speaker? Sometimes the speaker in the poem is a fictional persona and at other times it may be the poet himself. As we know the poem was written on the last day of December 1900, and as there is reference to it in the poem, it is clear that the speaker is Hardy himself. What tone is he speaking in? He sounds melancholy as he looks at the wintry scene in front of him. Let us conjure the opening scene. Hardy is alone-it is evening and everything around him looks bleak and dreary. It is also the last day of the year and the century. Instead of looking forward optimistically to a 'Happy New Year' and the start of the twentieth century, Hardy seems to regret the passage of time. Let us now paraphrase the poem stanza by stanza before we discuss its overall composition. Hardy tells us that one evening when the grey frost had thickened the air, he leaned against a gate leading to a small wood. The evening light was fading and it being winter, the whole landscape looked gloomy and desolate. The'disorderly stalks of vines could be seen silhouetted against the sky like the broken strings of a lyre. And all the people, who lived in the neighbourhood, barring Hardy, had gone to the comfort of their warm homes. The landscape looked so bleak and desolate that in the dark it looked like the corpse of the bygone century laid at rest. The cloudy sky seemed to be the burial place of the century and the wind seemed to sing its funeral dirge. With death there is birth and renewal but now the germ of birth seemed hard and dry and no sign of life was visible. Everything on earth . seemed to share the utmost melancholy and listlessness that Hardy felt. Nature seems to be in sympathy with the poet's mood. In this bleak landscape, suddenly an energetic and joyous voice burst forth from the dull leafless branches, singing an evening song. It was the song of a small, thin, old thrush with feathers ruffled by the cold wind. It seemed that the thrush had decided to express itsqlf thus in the growing darkness. I+ Hardy is bewildered. He cannot fathom the reason for this joyous song. The landscape all around and even at a distance did not inspire or justify such exuberance. The poet then speculates,that it could perhaps be visions of some hope that inspiM the song of the thrush. This hope, which seemed elusive to the poet, was perhaps visible to the joyousSbird. What is the theme of the poem? The poet is sad at the passage of time and the futility of human existence. This gloom is heightened by the bleak winter weather and the dark evening. In spite of such gloomy surroundings, an aged thrush bursts out in full-throated joyous song that brings a feeling of hope to the poet's heart. fiethin aged bird braves the winter blasts andstill continues to sing.