Famous Poems About Robins

Robins, with their vibrant red breasts and cheerful songs, have long captivated the hearts of poets. These delightful birds symbolize the arrival of spring, hope, and new beginnings. In the realm of poetry, robins have inspired some truly remarkable works that celebrate their beauty and significance. In this article, we will explore a few famous poems that pay homage to these charming creatures.

"The Robin" by Thomas Hardy

The bird's song sweetened every nook and glade,
And now I said, 'Robins, why are you still?'
When they had vanished. 'Ah, come!' I cried, and sighed;
I leaned against a gate to wait their will.
They had bestowed on me a gift, I thought,
'Twas not withdrawn: perforce I must be glad.
Then from the moorland by a path untaught
I heard a sudden hurried chattering,
And, looking up, beheld them twittering.
Nor song nor flight was there, but a swift flitting
From brake to tree, from tree to bush, then back
To tree from bush, and thence again transmitting
Their busy little community.
I now perceived my gift was not to me,
But to themselves, their time of merriment,
And thanked them for't, and thought it well to be
Rejoiced with them, and not be discontent.
So, passing on the way, I said aloud,
'What is't to me if robin sing or speak?'
And thus in self-spurning I was avowed
By the robins in their old-fashioned Greek.

"The Secret of the Sea" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Ah! what pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me.
Sails of silk and ropes of sandal,
Such as gleam in ancient lore;
And the singing of the sailors,
And the answer from the shore!
Most of all, the Spanish ballad
Haunts me oft, and tarries long,
Of the noble Count Arnaldos
And the sailor's mystic song.
Like the long waves on a sea-beach,
Where the sand as silver shines,
With a soft, monotonous cadence,
Flow its unrhymed lyric lines;—
Telling how the Count Arnaldos,
With his hawk upon his hand,
Saw a fair and stately galley,
Steering onward to the land;—
How he heard the ancient helmsman
Chant a song so wild and clear,
That the sailing sea-bird slowly
Poised upon the mast to hear,
Till his soul was full of longing,
And he cried, with impulse strong,—
'Helmsman! for the love of heaven,
Teach me, too, that wondrous song!'
'Wouldst thou,'—so the helmsman answered,
'Learn the secret of the sea?
Only those who brave its dangers
Comprehend its mystery!'