Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

Something Tapped

Something tapped on the pane of my room
When there was never a trace
Of wind or rain, and I saw in the gloom
My weary Beloved’s face.

“O I am tired of waiting,” she said,
“Night, morn, noon, afternoon;
So cold it is in my lonely bed,
And I thought you would join me soon!”

I rose and neared the window-glass,
But vanished thence had she:
Only a pallid moth, alas,
Tapped at the pane for me.

To finish our poems for this season, I thought everyone might enjoy this short chiller of a poem!

"Something Tapped" is a frightening poem--a ghost story in twelve lines! It shows the power of imagination, and how our minds can play tricks on us.

Some people think that an unknown tapping on the window means that a spirit or angel is trying to contact us.

Of course, glimmers if Poe’s The Raven! Which came first?

"Something tapped" first appeared in Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses which was first published in 1919.

It actually reminds me of (view spoiler)[Cathy (hide spoiler)] in Wuthering Heights! I personally don't like that book ... but think the feeling of chills we get from this poem is superb!

I like how the poem ends with a moth in the window. Like butterflies, moths can be symbols of transformation. But unlike butterflies, moths are associated with death or the afterlife. I think this is because moths are nocturnal, but also because they are attracted to light and one is supposed to “go to the light” at death.

The idea that the moth is “pallid” made me think the apparition of the woman transformed into the moth, perhaps as the speaker got too close to the window.

What a great observation Bridget. That's even more disturbing ... and now I have to switch off and go to bed! 😨😆

Thank you for the poem, Jean!

My perception of it is more sad than chilling; after all, the narrator approaches the glass, not runs away from it.

I absolutely agree with Bridget, moths are often associated with death and the afterlife.

Jean, I loved this! Thanks for sharing. I'm so glad that I decided to look at GoodReads and the Hardy threads tonight despite the fact that I've have a very busy and hectic day. I don't know about the symbolism of the poetry but the meaning is instantly clear, read and a bit sad too.

I missed the original notification for this poem, Jean, so am late to the party!

Like you, I was struck by the similarity to “Wuthering Heights” although I think that’s ivy tapping on the window if my memory’s correct?
The moth seems more ethereal and yet more realistic somehow as its pallid beating wings signify distress and disturbance in the moth’s attempt to approach the night lights just as the presumably dead lover beckons the author to the afterlife.

Thanks for this, an interesting poem.

Bridget wrote: 'The idea that the moth is “pallid” made me think the apparition of the woman transformed into the moth, perhaps as the speaker got too close to the window."

When I first read this poem, yesterday, I didn't at first think of that interpretation; but yes, now I definitely believe that Hardy (who grew up amongst 19th-century farm folk whose traditional beliefs were steeped in superstitions) was well aware that idea might occur to readers. He doesn't state that it's so --but he also does nothing to suggest that it isn't. Letting that thought form naturally in the reader's mind by itself is more effective in creating a frisson than stating it would have been.

A thought which did occur to me at the time (and which isn't incompatible with the ghost into moth transformation idea!) is that, if we take the "I" in the poem as Hardy himself, the Beloved is Emma. It fits in with the mood of a number of poems he wrote around this time, and might reflect his own feelings about the unexpected persistence of his life in his widowered state. Of course, at times his poetic "I" isn't literally himself; but even if it isn't here, Emma's passing had to be in his mind when he wrote this.

Boadicea wrote: "Like you, I was struck by the similarity to “Wuthering Heights” although I think that’s ivy tapping on the window ..."

I was thinking of later, (view spoiler)[ Heathcliff of Cathy (hide spoiler)] but what was in his mind was ambiguous anyway, I think 🤔 Your memory might be more accurate than mine though.

I'm so sorry for this very late reply! I think the alert only came up because of the next comment.

Werner:

"Beloved" is always Emma, yes. So with

"I saw in the gloom
My weary Beloved’s face."

I would agree this initial spark is definitely Emma, but then the poet's thoughts become fanciful and move on to other dreamy images. He is determined to rationalise at the end, but I personally think it remains ambiguous.

Do we think he believed his explanation and slept soundly after this, or was there lingering doubt?