Textual analysis of the poem "A faithful swallow"

INTRODUCTION

Right from the title, the reader may be curious to find
out why the poet (Thomas Hardy) tells about a faithful bird. Such curiosity may
lead to a careful reading of the text. In addition another possible conjecture
to be made is wondering whether the bird might be used as a symbol.

LAYOUT

The first step to comprehension is to consider the layout:
it clearly shows the poem consists of two octaves, and seems rather balanced
since both stanzas have more or less the same line length. Each line consists
of  a few words mainly three. The
language is simple and therefore the ideal reader may be a popular audience.
Besides, you can see that each stanza ends with an exclamation mark and as a
result, it may involve emotions. What strikes the attention is line 12, the
only one consisting of a single word that recalls the title.

 One can think the
word fidelity may play a relevant role in the message. Analysing the denotative
level the reader can confirm his or her conjectures. The structure of the poem
has been arranged into two stanzas on parpouse: the first octave introduces a
pleasant mood, a warm and hot weather; it's autumn, it's August and the sun is
shining in the sky. The setting is favourable to the swallow, she is happy with
the environment and everything seems to be perfect. "It's sweetest!" The use of
superlative as well as the very language of the bird "Here evermore"  reinforce the idea. The use of oral speech
adds meaning to the swallow's condition. She doesn't want to leave that place
and she considers all other swallows fickle because they are going to leave.
She is determinated "not go away to another shore". Her determination is well
expressed not only by direct speech but also by the use of the simple future "I
will stay, not go away". The will future expresses an immediate decision taken
almost istinctively thanks to the positive weather conditions. For the same
reason the swallow faithful to the place she finds herself makes a strong
judgement on her companion swallows. The intelligent reader should understand
that the deviation of line 8 is suitable to create distance between the speaking
voice and the other "they". The subject pronoun has been placed in key
positions: at the end of the line and at the close of the first stanza to
highlight the distance and the difference between her, the faithful one, and
the others. The beauty and pleasant atmosphere of summer time is conveyed by
the sound level: the poet used a run-on-line on the first three lines to create
an effect of speed and fluent rhythm also underlined by the rhyme between "day
and stay" both words synthesize the meaning of swallow's decision. The use of
the personal subject pronoun I gives strength to the swallow's decision, her
point-of-view made even stronger by the comma. Fickle belongs to the same
semantic field of "another shore". It's through the assonance of sound "ei" in "they"
and "came" that the poet moves to a different context, suggested by a different
setting, conveying a different mood. December is no longer a day it is a long
monthand toghether with "twas not the same" rhyming with "came" of previous line
adds meaning and strength to the change which is a change in weather,in mood
and in response. The change is for worse and only now the swallow can
understand that. The exclamation mark in line 10 expresses the swallow's
regret. Different from the first stanza where poetry seemed to rely mainly on
narrative poetry, in the second octave lines still being very similar if not
the counter mirror of the first one seem to be used to elicit reflection and
the text turns out more reflected than narrative. The reflection made covers
lines from 11 to 13 where the swallow confesses to the reader that she didn't
know being faithful did not return her any advantage. Fidelity, single in line
12, visually underlines the swallow's solitude. The mood is also conveyed by
the juxta position of "frost-hunger and snow". The setting has been turned
upside down. Rather strangely, the same placed (summer shine it's sweetest) as
now become a land of terrible suffering for the swallow. In the last two lines
of the second octave, the swallow comunicates all her suffering and pain:
December has replaced August. It can be said therefore that somebody of which
the swallow is a symbol should not make instinctive decisions as did the
swallow but people should taking to consideration matters from multiple
perspectives. Such consideration would have protected her from her present
situation.