The Faithful Swallow, T.Hardy

The Faithful Swallow

      When summer shone

Its sweetest on

An August day,

  ‘Here evermore,’

I said, ‘I'll stay;

Not go away

To another shore

As fickle they!’

December came:

'Twas not the same!

I did not know

Fidelity

Would serve me so.

Frost, hunger, snow;

And now, ah me,

Too late to go!

The object of the present work is to discuss and analyse the poem “The Faithful Swallow” by Thomas Hardy.

The poem focuses the reader's attention thanks to its regular pattern that creates an effect of balance and elegance.

The intelligent reader cannot miss realizing that 'Fidelity', in line 12, is the emotional keyword and therefore suggests the theme of the whole text since it breaks its regular pattern. In addition, it recalls the adjective "Faithful" of the title.

The text is a poem about the metaphorical habits of a swallow.

The poem has a linear nature with an incantatory effect which invites the reader to reflection.

It follows that the analysis of the poem is meant to find out what does the poet refers when he uses the word 'swallow'.

In order to reach the goal the present work will develop a structural analysis first and on a second moment, it will consider how connotative choices add to the meaning.

In considering the layout, the reader realises the text is arranged into two octets that exhibit the same structure.

From a structural point of view, the reader can see that both stanzas use direct speech to make what the speaking voice has said more straightforward and involving.

Both octets deal with a specific season, the first is about summer, more precisely in August, the second is about winter precisely in December.

The last line of each stanza is an exclamation, the poet's choice is to intensify his emotions.

The personal subject pronoun 'I' comes to the forefront, thus giving to a speaking voice a central and core position. What's more, the intelligent reader should speculate on the nature of that subject pronoun, it may refer to the personal experience of the poet.

Now, moving forward with the analysis of the metaphor structure of the text the reader realises that in the first stanza the poet uses adjective on the superlative grade 'sweetest' to describe the pleasures of the summer season. In addition in the first line, there is an alliteration, the repetition of the letter 's', that recalls to the sound of the noun ’summer’. On the contrary, he uses nouns like 'Frost, hunger, snow' which may convey a negative connotation to suggest his unpleasant feelings in winter.

Syntax also contributes together with the semantic choices to add the idea of fidelity. The poet creates an opposition between two actions:  he 'will stay here' but on the other hand 'As fickle they', all of the other people left while only him staid there.

In the second stanza the speaking voice's opinion changes, maybe he is regretting but he recognises that it is too late to leave the place. 

At the end the intelligent reader can understand that 'swallows' are the people who lived in town, maybe it is a seaside town, as in line 7 the poet uses the word 'shore'. Tourists are ‘swallows’, they stay in the town during the beautiful summer, but at the end of the season they went back home. The speaking voice is a local citizen who watched the same scenes every year and pondered upon it.