Poems
The Sparrow’s Nest
Nay, only look what I have found!
A Sparrow’s nest upon the ground;
A Sparrow’s nest as you may see,
Blown out of yonder old elm tree.
And what a medley thing it is!
I never saw a nest like this, —
Not neatly wove with decent care,
Of silvery moss and shining hair;
But put together, odds and ends,
Picked up from enemies and friends
See, bits of thread, and bits of rag,
Just like a little rubbish-bag!
Here is a scrap of red and brown,
Like the old washer-woman’s gown;
And here is muslin, pink and green,
And bits of calico between;
O never thinks the lady fair,
As she goes by with mincing air,
How the pert Sparrow over-head,
Has robbed her gown to make its bed!
See, hair of dog and fur of cat,
And rovings of a worsted mat,
And shreads of silks, and many a feather,
Compacted cunningly together.
Well, here has hoarding been and hiving,
And not a little good contriving,
Before a home of peace and ease
Was fashioned out of things like these!
Think, had these odds and ends been brought
To some wise man renowned for thought,
Some man, of men a very gem,
Pray what could he have done with them ?
If we had said, “Here, sir, we bring
You many a worthless little thing,
Just bits and scraps, so very small,
That they have scarcely size at all;
“And out of these, you must contrive
A dwelling large enough for five;
Neat, warm, and snug; with comfort stored;
Where five small things may lodge and board.”
How would the man of learning vast,
Have been astonished and aghast;
And vowed, that such a thing had been
Ne’er heard of, thought of, much less seen,
Ah! man of learning, you are wrong;
Instinct is, more than wisdom, strong;
And He who made the Sparrow, taught
This skill beyond your reach of thought.
And here, in this uncostly nest,
These little creatures have been blest;
Nor have kings known in palaces,
Half their contentedness in this —
Poor simple dwelling as it is!
A Sparrow’s nest upon the ground;
A Sparrow’s nest as you may see,
Blown out of yonder old elm tree.
And what a medley thing it is!
I never saw a nest like this, —
Not neatly wove with decent care,
Of silvery moss and shining hair;
But put together, odds and ends,
Picked up from enemies and friends
See, bits of thread, and bits of rag,
Just like a little rubbish-bag!
Here is a scrap of red and brown,
Like the old washer-woman’s gown;
And here is muslin, pink and green,
And bits of calico between;
O never thinks the lady fair,
As she goes by with mincing air,
How the pert Sparrow over-head,
Has robbed her gown to make its bed!
See, hair of dog and fur of cat,
And rovings of a worsted mat,
And shreads of silks, and many a feather,
Compacted cunningly together.
Well, here has hoarding been and hiving,
And not a little good contriving,
Before a home of peace and ease
Was fashioned out of things like these!
Think, had these odds and ends been brought
To some wise man renowned for thought,
Some man, of men a very gem,
Pray what could he have done with them ?
If we had said, “Here, sir, we bring
You many a worthless little thing,
Just bits and scraps, so very small,
That they have scarcely size at all;
“And out of these, you must contrive
A dwelling large enough for five;
Neat, warm, and snug; with comfort stored;
Where five small things may lodge and board.”
How would the man of learning vast,
Have been astonished and aghast;
And vowed, that such a thing had been
Ne’er heard of, thought of, much less seen,
Ah! man of learning, you are wrong;
Instinct is, more than wisdom, strong;
And He who made the Sparrow, taught
This skill beyond your reach of thought.
And here, in this uncostly nest,
These little creatures have been blest;
Nor have kings known in palaces,
Half their contentedness in this —
Poor simple dwelling as it is!
Analysis (ai): The poem consists of thirteen quatrains in iambic tetrameter with an ABAB rhyme scheme, adhering to a ballad-like structure common in 19th-century didactic poetry.
- Tone and Diction: The tone is conversational and exclamatory, mimicking a childlike observation, while the use of plain language reinforces accessibility, distancing it from Romantic grandeur.
- Theme of Humble Ingenuity: The central theme is the virtue found in humble materials and natural instinct, contrasting human intellectual pride with the sparrow’s practical resourcefulness.
- Contrast Between Nature and Human Learning: The poem positions instinct as superior to formal learning, suggesting that wisdom derived from nature exceeds scholarly reasoning.
- Religious Undertone: A quiet theology pervades, suggesting divine guidance in nature’s design, particularly in the final stanzas where God is implied as the source of the sparrow’s craft.
- Comparison to Author’s Other Works: Unlike Howitt’s overtly moralistic tales for children, this poem uses irony—the sparrow’s “theft” of human detritus—to subtly critique human vanity.
- Place in the Author’s Oeuvre: Among her lesser-known nature poems, this piece stands out for its focus on domestic debris as creative material, reflecting her interest in social and environmental frugality.
- Engagement with 19th-Century Norms: While many contemporaries idealized rural nature, this poem acknowledges urban waste, aligning with early Victorian concerns about industrialization and reuse.
- Unconventional Perspective on Value: Rather than sentimentalizing the bird, the poem highlights the nest as a composite of society’s discards, implying that worth is not inherent but constructed.
- Subversion of Class Symbols: The mention of the “lady fair” and “washer-woman” subtly critiques class distinctions, suggesting both are unknowingly contributors to nature’s economy.
- Role of the Mundane: By elevating rags and trash into a symbol of successful creation, the poem prefigures later literary interest in the significance of the everyday.
- Minimalist Use of Archaic Language: The archaic “yonder” and “rovings” lend a folksy, timeless tone, but do not obscure the poem’s immediacy or its rootedness in observable reality.
- Formal Restraint and Message Clarity: The consistent meter and rhyme serve didactic clarity over innovation, aligning with period norms rather than challenging them.
- Contrast with Later Poetic Trends: Unlike post-1900 fragmentation or modernist irony, this poem uses cohesion and moral certainty, reflecting its 19th-century context.
- Final Reflection on Contentment: The closing lines suggest that material simplicity and natural instinct yield a deeper peace than human-made wealth, a quiet rebuke to industrial progress.
Mary Howitt
(1799 – 1888)
Mary Howitt
(12 March 1799 – 30 January 1888) was an English writer, editor, translator and a pioneer of the women’s rights movement in the UK. She is most known as the author of the famous poem The Spider and the Fly. She translated several works by Hans Christian Andersen and Frederika Bremer. Some of her works were written in conjunction with her husband, William Howitt. Many, in verse and prose, were intended for young people.
