#16

A Bird came down the Walk

By Emily Dickinson

Poem

A Bird, came down the Walk -

He did not know I saw -

He bit an Angle Worm in halves

And ate the fellow, raw,

And then, he drank a Dew

From a convenient Grass -

And then hopped sidewise to the Wall

To let a Beetle pass -

He glanced with rapid eyes,

That hurried all abroad -

They looked like frightened Beads, I thought,

He stirred his Velvet Head. -

Like one in danger, Cautious,

I offered him a Crumb,

And he unrolled his feathers,

And rowed him softer Home -

Than Oars divide the Ocean,

Too silver for a seam,

Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,

Leap, plashless as they swim.

Emily Dickinson

Biography

Emily Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830. Her entire life was spent in Amherst, Massachusetts. She went to Amherst College for seven years and later went to Mount Holyoke Female Seminary for one year. Emily Dickinson never married and spent much of her life in isolation. During Emily Dickinson's lifetime, only 10 of her nearly 1,800 poems were published. Emily Dickinson died on May 15, 1886.

The poet uses the symbol of a bird to represent nature. The poem speaks about a bird that comes down to seek food. The poet describes the bird's beauty by stating "Velvet Head". Birds are also known for fragility and the poet states that in the lines "he unrolled his feathers", "And rowed him softer home", "Than Oars divide the Ocean". The bird in the poem becomes nervous as "He glanced with rapid eyes", "They looked like frightened Beads".

Symbols

The poet uses imagery to describe the bird. One example is, "He bit an Angle Worm in halves". She paints a picture in your mind of the bird eating. Another example is when the bird "hopped sidewise to the Wall to let a Beetle pass". This example shows the birds preference of food. The bird chooses a worm over a beetle. These images help the reader see the bird as it lives and reacts in its environment.

Images

The poet uses personification throughout the poem in which the bird is personified. The poet uses "he" instead of "it" to describe the bird. Some lines from the poem showing personification are "He bit an Angle Worm in halves", "And he unrolled his feathers", "And rowed him softer Home". The poet uses simile with the phrase, "They looked like frightened Beads, I thought". The birds eyes are being compared to beads. The poet uses metaphor with the following phrase, "He stirred his Velvet Head". The bird's head is compared to velvet. Alliteration is shown in the phrase "They looked like frightened, Beads, I thought". The sound of the letter "l" is repeated in the line. Assonance is used in the phrase "And rowed him softer Home". The sound of the letter "o" is repeated in the line.

Figurative Language

The overall tone of the poem is gentle and respectful regarding nature. This tone is shown in the lines "Like one in danger, Cautious, I offered him a Crumb, "And he unrolled his feathers", "And rowed him softer home", Than Oars divide the Ocean", "Too silver for a seam". The detail that the poet uses also shows admiration and awe. The reader can picture the flight of the bird as the poet compares the bird's wings to oars.

Tone and Theme