Poetry Explorer


Classic and Contemporary Poetry


THE LAY OF THE LARK by THOMAS HOOD

Poet Analysis

First Line: WITH DEW UPON ITS BREAST
Last Line: "HE ONLY MURMUR'D ""BREAD!"
Subject(s): BIRDS; LARKS; SKYLARKS;

WITH dew upon its breast
And sunshine on its wing,
The lark uprose from its happy nest
And thus it seemed to sing: --
"Sweet, sweet! from the middle of the wheat
To meet the morning gray,
To leave the corn on a merry morn,
Nor have to curse the day."

With the dew upon their breast,
And the sunlight on their wing,
Towards the skies from the furrows rise
The larks, and thus they sing: --
"If you would know the cause
That makes us sing so gay,
It is because we hail and bless,
And never curse the day.
Sweet, sweet! from the middle of the wheat
(@3Where lurk our callow brood@1)
Where we were hatch'd, and fed
Amidst the corn on a very merry morn
(@3We never starve for food@1.)
We never starve for bread!"

Those flowers so very blue
Those poppies flaming red,

His heavy eye was glazed and dull,
He only murmur'd "bread!"



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