Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

Reticulations creep upon the slack stream's face
When the wind skims irritably past,
The current clucks smartly into each hollow place
That years of flood have scrabbled in the pier's sodden base;
The floating-lily leaves rot fast.

On a roof stand the swallows ranged in wistful waiting rows,
Till they arrow off and drop like stones
Among the eyot-withies at whose foot the river flows;
And beneath the roof is she who in the dark world shows
As a lattice-gleam when midnight moans.

This poem comes from Moments of Vision and Miscellaneous Verses.

It was published in 1917, so we are getting closer to the last decade of Hardy’s work as a poet. He saw fit to put into parentheses below the title the word “onomatopoeic,” so he wanted to make clear he was trying to focus on sounds as much as the words themselves.

The words, their usage, and the insistent flow of the words have echoes of Ted Hughes, in my opinion. So it is like we are hearing Hughes, in a way. There is a beautiful feel to this poem. Read it out loud and it is quite amazing.

From Poetry Atlas:

The footbridge over the River Stour at Sturminster Newton still stands. It is a beautiful spot, well-known in Dorset. There is a mill on the river nearby and just downstream is the famous old stone bridge of Sturminster.

We certainly can hear and see the river and the surroundings in this poem. Hardy makes use of both onomatopoeia and alliteration to convey the sounds.

I had to look up "eyot-withies" which means willow branches on an island in the river. Hardy captured the motion of a flight of swallows well:

"On a roof stand the swallows ranged in wistful waiting rows,
Till they arrow off and drop like stones
Among the eyot-withies at whose foot the river flows"

Connie wrote: "We certainly can hear and see the river and the surroundings in this poem. Hardy makes use of both onomatopoeia and alliteration to convey the sounds.

I had to look up "eyot-withies" which means w..."

Yes, I think the alliteration is nice — and measured. If alliteration is used too heavily, it becomes less rewarding to the reader and starts to ring untrue. In the hands of capable poets, just the right amount has to be found for the sounds to be rewarding without being overt.

What word craft! I love when a writer spends the time to find the right words that give a feeling, sense of place, an impression on the reader. Great choice, John!

John wrote: "The footbridge over the River Stour at Sturminster Newton still stands. It is a beautiful spot, well-known in Dorset ..."

Yes, indeed it is! Some background ...

Sturminster Newton was an important location to Thomas Hardy, who lived and wrote there for a time.

Also, the poet William Barnes, author of 800 poems including Poems of Rural Life in the Dorset Dialect, to whom Thomas Hardy felt a natural successor, lived in a small hamlet near Sturminster Newton.

Some of those who joined in our read of Tess of the D'Urbervilles may remember that she was born in North Dorset and goes through “Stourbridge”, which is Stourcastle, Sturminster Newton. The red arrow here marks Sturminster Newton.



It's such an expressive poem, as you pointed out John. What struck me first was the personification sUch as irritable wind"

Linking now, thank you!

I shared this poem with a friend and she asked me — who is the “she” in the poem?

I said I did not think it was a reference to his wife, but beyond that, I am unsure who he means.

I also wondered who the "she" was, and whether it was a person. Is Hardy personifying the moon?

Connie wrote: "I also wondered who the "she" was, and whether it was a person. Is Hardy personifying the moon?"

My first reaction was this was a ghost. I still think it is. It seems there is a ghost that hides itself as part of the bridge. When we think of lattice gleam from the structure of the bridge itself, it strikes me that the builders of the bridge unknowingly created a ghost-looking presence in the design of bridge (its lattice work). This ghost can only be seen by the light of the moon.

The last two lines sound spooky so I think a ghost would fit the atmosphere, John.

Although it seems very ethereal, when I reread this poem, I notice its heavy architectural components. Interesting juxtaposition.

Pier
Base
Rows
Roof
Lattice

I love the musicality of the opening line:

Reticulations creep upon the slack stream's face.

Sounds like something Hopkins would gives us - "After-comers
can not guess the beauty been"