Poetry · Chapter
Snow explained
In the silent, white gloom of a snowy scene, a child mourns the killing of a white bird on its nest, watching the down fall through the dusky brightness.
What happens
In the silent, white gloom of a snowy scene, a child mourns the killing of a white bird on its nest, watching the down fall through the dusky brightness.
Themes in this chapter
War and Mortality
The killing of the white bird on its nest evokes themes of death and violence.
The Cycle of Life and Death
The bird's death and the falling down symbolize the end of life within the natural cycle.
Characters to notice
- The Child
The child is sighing and crying over the death of a white bird in the snow.
- The Winter Thrush
The white bird killed on its nest, whose down flutters down through the snow.
Key passages
“They have killed a white bird up there on her nest, The down is fluttering from her breast.”
Someone has killed a white bird while she was nesting, and her feathers are drifting down.
The child's lament reveals the violent act and its aftermath.