A Bird Came Down the Walk | Poem and Central Theme | Atomic Vision

A Bird Came Down the Walk

By Emily Dickinson

A Bird came down the Walk—
He did not know I saw—
He bit an Angleworm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,

And then he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass—
And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let a Beetle pass—

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad—
They looked like frightened Beads, I thought—
He stirred his Velvet Head

Like one in danger, cautious,
I offered him a Crumb
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home—

Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam—
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon
Leap, plashless as they swim.

Point of View:
The poem is written from a first-person point of view. The speaker directly observes the bird’s actions, which creates a sense of immediacy and intimacy. This perspective allows readers to see the bird’s delicate movements and behaviors through the speaker’s attentive gaze, enhancing the feeling of quiet admiration and curiosity.

Setting:
The setting is a quiet, natural space, likely a garden or pathway where the speaker encounters the bird “down the walk.” The details in the poem evoke a calm, pastoral scene where small aspects of nature, like insects, dew, and grass, come into focus. This simple setting highlights the beauty and tranquility of nature that might otherwise go unnoticed.

Style:

• Stanza Structure: The poem has five quatrains (four-line stanzas), each capturing a brief moment or action of the bird.
• Rhyme Scheme: The rhyme scheme follows an ABAB pattern in each stanza, which gives the poem a gentle rhythm that mirrors the quiet, observational tone of the scene.

Overall Style:
Dickinson’s style here is reflective and observational, with subtle metaphors that convey a deeper message about nature’s beauty and independence. The rhyme and meter create a delicate, almost musical quality that aligns with the graceful movement of the bird.

Central Theme: Nature is beautiful, instinctual, and often beyond human influence. The bird’s response to the speaker’s approach illustrates that nature thrives best on its own terms. Human interference can disrupt its freedom and grace.

Summary: In "A Bird Came Down the Walk," Emily Dickinson describes a speaker quietly watching a bird as it moves along a path. The bird goes about its routine, eating a worm, drinking dew, and hopping aside for a passing beetle. As the speaker tries to connect by offering the bird a crumb, the bird becomes cautious and gracefully flies away. The poem captures both the beauty and independence of the bird as it moves through the natural world.

Hidden Message: The poem hints that while people may want to connect with and even control nature, true beauty in nature lies in its freedom and independence. Dickinson suggests that nature is best left undisturbed, as human interference can disrupt its grace and delicate balance. The bird’s flight represents nature’s instinct to remain separate, a reminder that humans can admire nature, but should not always seek to possess or change it.


References: 

Dickinson, Emily. "A Bird Came Down the Walk." In The Poems of Emily Dickinson.

Vendler, Helen. Dickinson: Selected Poems and Commentaries. Harvard University Press, 2010.

Cameron, Sharon. Choosing Not Choosing: Dickinson’s Fascicles. University of Chicago Press, 1992.

Johnson, Thomas H., editor. The Poems of Emily Dickinson. Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1955.

Higginson, T.W., and Todd, Mabel Loomis, editors. The Poems of Emily Dickinson: Series One. Roberts Brothers, 1890.