Analysis of A Caged Mocking-Bird
John Charles McNeill 1874 – 1907
I pass a cobbler's shop along the street
And pause a moment at the door-step, where,
In nature's medley, piping cool and sweet,
The songs that thrill the swamps when spring is near,
Fly o'er the fields at fullness of the year,
And twitter where the autumn hedges run,
Join all the months of music into one.
I shut my eyes: the shy wood-thrush is there,
And all the leaves hang still to catch his spell;
Wrens cheep among the bushes; from somewhere
A bluebird's tweedle passes o'er the fell;
From rustling corn bob-white his name doth tell;
And when the oriole sets his full heart free
Barefooted boyhood comes again to me.
The vision-bringer hangs upon a nail
Before a dusty window, looking dim
On marts where trade goes hot with box and bale;
The sad-eyed passers have no time for him.
His captor sits, with beaded face and grim,
Plying a listless awl, as in a dream
Of pastures winding by a shady stream.
Gray bird, what spirit bides with thee unseen?
For now, when every songster finds his love
And makes his nest where woods are deep and green,
Free as the winds, thy song should mock the dove.
If I were thou, my grief in moans should move
At thinking--otherwhere, by others' art
Charmed and forgetful--of mine own sweetheart.
But I, who weep when fortune seems unkind
To prison me within a space of walls,
When far-off grottoes hold my loves enshrined
And every love is cruel when it calls;
Who sulk for hills and fern-fledged waterfalls,--
I blush to offer sorrow unto thee,
Master of fate, scorner of destiny!
Scheme | ABACCDD BEBEEFF GHGHHII JKJKXLL MNMNNFF |
---|---|
Poetic Form | |
Metre | 1101010101 0101010111 0101010101 0111011111 11001110101 0101010101 1101110011 1111011111 0101111111 110101011 0110101001 1101111111 0101011111 1110111 010110101 0101010101 1111111101 0111011111 1101110101 1001011001 1101010101 1111011101 1111001111 0111111101 1101111101 1101110111 11011101 100101111 1111110101 1101010111 111111101 01001110111 111101110 1111010101 101111100 |
Closest metre | Iambic pentameter |
Characters | 1,498 |
Words | 279 |
Sentences | 8 |
Stanzas | 5 |
Stanza Lengths | 7, 7, 7, 7, 7 |
Lines Amount | 35 |
Letters per line (avg) | 34 |
Words per line (avg) | 8 |
Letters per stanza (avg) | 237 |
Words per stanza (avg) | 55 |
Font size:
Submitted on August 03, 2020
Modified on March 05, 2023
- 1:25 min read
- 7 Views
Citation
Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:
Style:MLAChicagoAPA
"A Caged Mocking-Bird" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 20 Sep. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/55844/a-caged-mocking-bird>.
Discuss this John Charles McNeill poem analysis with the community:
Report Comment
We're doing our best to make sure our content is useful, accurate and safe.
If by any chance you spot an inappropriate comment while navigating through our website please use this form to let us know, and we'll take care of it shortly.
Attachment
You need to be logged in to favorite.
Log In