Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

The ten hours’ light is abating,
And a late bird wings across,
Where the pines, like waltzers waiting,
Give their black heads a toss.

Beech leaves, that yellow the noontime,
Float past like specks in the eye;
I set every tree in my June time,
And now they obscure the sky.

And the children who ramble through here
Conceive that there never has been
A time when no tall trees grew here,
That none will in time be seen.

Satires of Circumstance was published in 1914 and contains some of his most well-known poems. War was on the horizon, but the poems look back, too, on his relationship with his first wife. This quiet poem comes from this collection.

Interestingly enough, the publisher chose the title for this book and Hardy disapproved of it. This is what Wikipedia indicates, though I must admit I did not know it — if, in fact, it is true.

Claire Tomalin, in her biography Thomas Hardy, wrote that Hardy’s greatest poems were the elegies in Satires of Circumstance, lyrics and reveries with miscellaneous pieces. Although I admire Tomalin for all of her work, I disagree with her on this. I find his greatest poems to be in the later works and they are the ones of the natural world and rustic life rather than the elegies.

I remember reading that Hardy planted thousands of pine trees around Max Gate when he first moved there (his June time). They grew so high that the house was surrounded by a dark shade.

The poem is showing the passage of time starting in the present in the first stanza, going to the past in the second stanza, and imagining the future in the last line.

This is a wonderful autumn poem, John. The first stanza with "the ten hours' light is abating" pulls us into November with its short days.

Connie wrote: "I remember reading that Hardy planted thousands of pine trees around Max Gate when he first moved there (his June time). They grew so high that the house was surrounded by a dark shade.

The poem i..."

Connie, this poem felt right for today here. We have gray overcast skies. The feel of autumn is quite palpable.

I honestly had no recollection of this poem. But when I reread Satires, there it was, seemingly jumping off the page.

It's new to me too! What a lovely contemplative poem, thanks John.

(Now linked.)

These lines:

"I set every tree in my June time,
And now they obscure the sky."

feel so personal. As Connie said, Thomas Hardy planted saplings around Max Gate when he moved there, and they are very tall. (He actually designed the house himself.)

So here we have a sense of history and also feel how much he loved his home.

I thoroughly enjoyed this poem. It feels like it says so much, so simply and so concisely. Great choice, John.

It's such a pictorial poem. I can imagine an artist's oil painting, inspired by this poem.

John wrote: "Connie wrote: "I remember reading that Hardy planted thousands of pine trees around Max Gate when he first moved there (his June time). They grew so high that the house was surrounded by a dark sha..."

What a lovely poem. We are having our first decidedly cool day here, and this was the perfect read!

Does anyone have a suggestion on why Hardy loaded the last stanza with so many negatives?

And the children who ramble through here
Conceive that there NEVER has been
A time when NO tall trees grew here,
That NONE will in time be seen.

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Donald wrote: "Does anyone have a suggestion on why Hardy loaded the last stanza with so many negatives?

And the children who ramble through here
Conceive that there NEVER has been
A time when NO tall trees grew..."

That is a good question. When wording is done like that, I find it confusing. It is like I have to track the negatives — is something there or not there?

My impression of this is that the two previous stanzas seem to be working in limitations — things are fading, abating, obscured. The last stanza seems, then, to be written in a finality — a clear one.

Thanks for your post John; that makes sense.

I think you're right John. To express the impressions as negatives, heighten the loss, somehow.

Well indentified, thanks Donald