Poems
Robin Redbreast
Good-bye, good-bye to Summer!
For Summer’s nearly done;
The garden smiling faintly,
Cool breezes in the sun;
Our Thrushes now are silent,
Our Swallows flown away, —
But Robin’s here, in coat of brown,
With ruddy breast-knot gay.
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
Robin singing sweetly
In the falling of the year.
Bright yellow, red, and orange,
The leaves come down in hosts;
The trees are Indian Princes,
But soon they’ll turn to Ghosts;
The scanty pears and apples
Hang russet on the bough,
It’s Autumn, Autumn, Autumn late,
‘Twill soon be Winter now.
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
And welaway! my Robin,
For pinching times are near.
The fireside for the Cricket,
The wheatstack for the Mouse,
When trembling night-winds whistle
And moan all round the house;
The frosty ways like iron,
The branches plumed with snow, —
Alas! in Winter, dead and dark,
Where can poor Robin go?
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
And a crumb of bread for Robin,
His little heart to cheer.
For Summer’s nearly done;
The garden smiling faintly,
Cool breezes in the sun;
Our Thrushes now are silent,
Our Swallows flown away, —
But Robin’s here, in coat of brown,
With ruddy breast-knot gay.
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
Robin singing sweetly
In the falling of the year.
Bright yellow, red, and orange,
The leaves come down in hosts;
The trees are Indian Princes,
But soon they’ll turn to Ghosts;
The scanty pears and apples
Hang russet on the bough,
It’s Autumn, Autumn, Autumn late,
‘Twill soon be Winter now.
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
And welaway! my Robin,
For pinching times are near.
The fireside for the Cricket,
The wheatstack for the Mouse,
When trembling night-winds whistle
And moan all round the house;
The frosty ways like iron,
The branches plumed with snow, —
Alas! in Winter, dead and dark,
Where can poor Robin go?
Robin, Robin Redbreast,
O Robin dear!
And a crumb of bread for Robin,
His little heart to cheer.
Analysis (ai): The poem tracks seasonal transition from late summer to impending winter, using natural imagery to reflect cycles of abundance and scarcity. Robin serves as a constant amid change, symbolizing resilience and modest presence. Unlike many Victorian nature poems that deify animals or seasons, this work retains a personal, conversational tone with the bird. The “coat of brown” and “ruddy breast-knot” emphasize earthly modesty over romantic embellishment.
Tone and Voice: A melancholic warmth pervades the speaker’s address to Robin, blending farewell with care. The refrain lends musicality typical of 19th-century lyrical verse, yet avoids overt sentimentality through understatement. The shift from seasonal observation to concern for survival introduces moral weight subtly.
Structure and Form: Three stanzas follow a loose ballad meter with ABCBDB rhyme, favoring accessibility over strict regularity. Enjambment is minimal, supporting the poem’s song-like rhythm. The refrain anchors each section while allowing thematic progression from observation to empathy.
Comparison to Author’s Other Works: Among the author’s lyrical nature poems, this one stands out for sustained focus on a single creature without mythic or folkloric expansion. Other works often incorporate Irish landscape or legend; here, the setting is generalized, increasing universality. The emotional restraint distinguishes it from his more narrative-driven pieces.
Historical Context and Norms: Late Victorian poetry frequently allegorized nature to reinforce moral or spiritual order; this poem resists that by grounding concern in material survival. It aligns with emerging interest in animal welfare during the period but avoids didacticism. The mention of “pinching times” quietly acknowledges socioeconomic hardship, an undercurrent in otherwise pastoral verse of the time.
Engagement with Contemporary Concern: Though pre-20th century, the poem’s focus on vulnerability and care anticipates modern ecological sensibility. Its anthropomorphic concern—offering a crumb—frames interspecies responsibility in domestic terms, a precursor to later environmental empathy in literature. The question “Where can poor Robin go?” resonates with current discussions of displacement and shelter.
Tone and Voice: A melancholic warmth pervades the speaker’s address to Robin, blending farewell with care. The refrain lends musicality typical of 19th-century lyrical verse, yet avoids overt sentimentality through understatement. The shift from seasonal observation to concern for survival introduces moral weight subtly.
Structure and Form: Three stanzas follow a loose ballad meter with ABCBDB rhyme, favoring accessibility over strict regularity. Enjambment is minimal, supporting the poem’s song-like rhythm. The refrain anchors each section while allowing thematic progression from observation to empathy.
Comparison to Author’s Other Works: Among the author’s lyrical nature poems, this one stands out for sustained focus on a single creature without mythic or folkloric expansion. Other works often incorporate Irish landscape or legend; here, the setting is generalized, increasing universality. The emotional restraint distinguishes it from his more narrative-driven pieces.
Historical Context and Norms: Late Victorian poetry frequently allegorized nature to reinforce moral or spiritual order; this poem resists that by grounding concern in material survival. It aligns with emerging interest in animal welfare during the period but avoids didacticism. The mention of “pinching times” quietly acknowledges socioeconomic hardship, an undercurrent in otherwise pastoral verse of the time.
Engagement with Contemporary Concern: Though pre-20th century, the poem’s focus on vulnerability and care anticipates modern ecological sensibility. Its anthropomorphic concern—offering a crumb—frames interspecies responsibility in domestic terms, a precursor to later environmental empathy in literature. The question “Where can poor Robin go?” resonates with current discussions of displacement and shelter.
William Allingham (19 March 1824 – 18 November 1889) was an Irish poet, diarist and editor. He wrote several volumes of lyric verse, and his poem “The Faeries” was much anthologised. But he is better known for his posthumously published Diary, in which he records his lively encounters with Tennyson, Carlyle and other writers and artists. His wife, Helen Allingham, was a well-known artist, watercolourist and illustrator.
