To a Waterfowl
By William Cullen Bryant
Whither, midst falling dew,
While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,
Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue
Thy solitary way?
Vainly the fowler’s eye
Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,
As, darkly painted on the crimson sky,
Thy figure floats along.
Seek’st thou the plashy brink
Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide,
Or where the rocking billows rise and sink
On the chafed ocean side?
There is a Power whose care
Teaches thy way along that pathless coast,-
The desert and illimitable air,-
Lone wandering, but not lost.
All day thy wings have fanned,
At that far height, the cold, thin atmosphere,
Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land,
Though the dark night is near.
And soon that toil shall end;
Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest,
And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend,
Soon, o’er thy sheltered nest.
Thou’rt gone, the abyss of heaven
Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart
Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given,
And shall not soon depart.
He who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must tread alone,
Will lead my steps aright.
Summary of To a Waterfowl
- Popularity of “To a Waterfowl”: This beautiful poem comprising eight quatrains was written by an American poet, William Cullen Bryant. The poem first appeared in 1818. The poet recounts the journey of a single fowl, imagines his daunting task, and thinks about the Power that makes it fly on a straight path to distant lands to meet other fowls of its ilk. The poem then mixes this idea with that of the presence of Power and thinks that God will guide him to the straight path. Herein lies the beauty and popularity of this poem.
- “To a Waterfowl” As a Representative of God’s Power: The poet sees a waterfowl flying in the sky toward his destination even though it is a dewy morning. The poet questions him why he is alone and then states that he is moving in the crimson sky toward someplace that is unknown to him though he interrogatively asks that it could be some ocean. However, he recalls that there is a Power that guides all these creatures to their destinations.
Then he thinks about the bird that it is doing an arduous job of flapping its wings to reach the land where its brethren are waiting for him. This destination of the bird is located in some summer resort toward which he has disappeared. The poet feels amazement at its disappearance and thinks about God, Who has guided this fowl to its destination. Then he thinks that God will guide him toward the right path like that of the birds. - Major Themes in “To a Waterfowl”: Natural world, the beauty of nature, and God’s power are three major thematic strands of this poem “To a Waterfowl.” The poem beautifully presents the natural world through the fowl, showing that he is traveling to his destination on a beautiful day and in the beautiful crimson sky where his brethren are waiting. However, he also describes the beauty of nature, such as the sky, heaven, the horizon, and the likely destination of the bird. He also goes into detail about the flight of the bird to conclude that it all happens because of the power of God. God holds sway over everything and guides the birds to reach their destination with their brethren. Therefore, the same God would guide the poet as well.
Analysis of Literary Devices Used in To a Waterfowl
William Cullen Bryant uses various literary devices to enhance the intended impact of his poem. Some of the major literary devices in this poem are as follows.
- Assonance: Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /i/ in “Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong” and the sound of /a/ in “Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide.”
- Consonance: Consonance is the repetition of consonant sounds in the same line, such as the sound of /t / in “Teaches thy way along that pathless coast” and the sound of /s/ in “Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest.”
- Imagery: Imagery is used to make readers perceive things involving their five senses. William Cullen Bryant has used imagery in this poem such as “Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest”, “Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart” and “Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given.”
- Metaphor: It is a figure of speech in which an implied comparison is made between objects that are different in nature. The poet has used different metaphors such as Power for God or abyss as something that could swallow huge things.
- Personification: It is a device that shows the use of human attributes to some inanimate objects or ideas, such as the abyss has been shown swallowing birds and the heart-sinking in depth.
- Rhetorical Question: A rhetorical question is a device that is not used to get an answer but to emphasize a point. The poem shows the use of rhetorical questions such as “Thy solitary path?” or “On the chafed ocean side.”
- Symbolism: Symbolism is using symbols to signify ideas and qualities, giving them symbolic meanings that are different from the literal meanings. The poem shows symbols such as fowl, heaven, glow, flight, and river to show the power of nature, and the natural cycle.
Analysis of Poetic Devices Used in To a Waterfowl
Poetic and literary devices are the same, but a few are used only in poetry. Here is an analysis of some of the poetic devices used in this poem.
- Diction: It means the type of language. The poem shows beautiful and formal diction.
- End Rhyme: End rhyme is used to make the stanza melodious. William Cullen Bryant has used end rhyme in this poem, such as dew/pursue and day/way.
- Quatrain: A quatrain is a four-lined stanza borrowed from Persian poetry. Here each stanza is quatrain.
- Rhyme Scheme: The poem follows an ABAB rhyme scheme, and this pattern continues until the end.
- Stanza: A stanza is a poetic form of some lines. There are eight stanzas in this poem, with each comprising four verses.
- Tone: It means the voice of the text. The poem shows a quizzical in the beginning and then a religious tone by the end.
Quotes to be Used
The following lines are useful to quote about the power of God.
He who, from zone to zone,
Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,
In the long way that I must tread alone,
Will lead my steps aright.