16 pages • 32 minutes read
William WordsworthTo the Skylark
Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1825A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Symbols & Motifs
The Nest
The skylark’s nest functions as a symbol of domesticity and the comfort of what is familiar and safe. The speaker describes the nest as resting upon “the dewy ground” (Line 4)—a reference to how skylarks build their nests at ground level, while also emphasizing the secure, rooted nature of the skylark’s home. The skylark’s nest is a place of comfort, a place to which the skylark can always return when in need of relaxation: “Thy nest which thou canst drop into at will / Those quivering wings composed, that music still!” (Lines 3-4). The nest also represents domesticity and emotional ties in a family sense, the place in which birds raise their young. When the speaker refers to the “love-prompted strain” (Line 8) of the skylark’s song and the “never-failing bond” (Line 9) it forms between the skylark and its loved ones, he is making it clear that the skylark and its nest represents the interpersonal ties that also exist between a living creature and its companions within its home environment.
The Sky
Just as the skylark’s nest represents the comforts and security of home or another familiar place, the sky represents not just a geographical location, but a symbol of freedom, independence, and the unknown. In the poem’s first stanza, the speaker portrays the sky as a potential escape from “the earth where cares abound” (Line 2), suggesting that while the earth (and the nest) may be familiar, they are also the setting for many duties and problems. In describing how the “darling warbler” (Line 8) can ascend “To the last point of vision, and beyond” (Line 7) in the second stanza, the speaker emphasizes the sheer scale of potential for exploration and freedom that the skylark enjoys. And yet, as appealing as the sky’s seemingly limitless frontier may be, the skylark chooses to enjoy its freedom in moderation, never losing sight of its nest and all that it represents.
The Skylark’s Song
The speaker has high praise for the skylark’s song, which—apart from its ability to fly—is one of its defining characteristics. The speaker calls the skylark an “Ethereal minstrel!” (Line 1) in the opening words of the poem, with minstrel emphasizing the musical character of the skylark. Yet the skylark’s song is important most of all because it serves as a harmonizing link between the realms of sky and earth, of freedom and domesticity. Its song “Thrills not the less the bosom of the plain [earth or field]” (Line 10) even when it is soaring in the sky “To the last point of vision, and beyond” (Line 7). It forms a constant connection between “thee and thine”— between the skylark and all that it loves, or which belongs to it in some way, on the earth. This motif of birdsong suggests that it is possible for the skylark to maintain its connections to the earth and its home even while enjoying its freedom in the sky, and suggests that humans can also reconcile freedom and domesticity in their own lives.
Related Titles
By William Wordsworth
