Analysis of Stormcock in Elder |Ruth Pitter | SC|Devices| CIE|Exams.

Some words on the poet:

Ruth Pitter:

Emerging from working class roots, Ruth Pitter was a British poet who has been largely acclaimed. Despite having not benefited from college education, she was able to connect to a large audience. Her parents, who were school teachers, encouraged her to write poetry. Though she worked in the restoration of furniture, she spent time writing poetry.

Ruth received many awards, such as the Queen’s Gold Medal in 1955 and became a Companion of literature. Her poems dealt from the spiritual emancipation of the individual to nature. She wrote in traditional form, sticking to a regularity in structure.

The poem:

In my dark hermitage, aloof
From the world’s sight and the world’s sound,
By the small door where the old roof
Hangs but five feet above the ground,
I groped along the shelf for bread
But found celestial food instead:

For suddenly close at my ear,
Loud, loud and wild, with wintry glee,
The old unfailing chorister
Burst out in pride of poetry;
And through the broken roof I spied
Him by his singing glorified.

Scarcely an arm’s-length from the eye,
Myself unseen, I saw him there;
The throbbing throat that made the cry,
The breast dewed from the misty air,
The polished bill that opened wide
And showed the pointed tongue inside;

The large eye, ringed with many a ray
Of minion feathers, finely laid,
The feet that grasped the elder-spray;
How strongly used, how subtly made
The scale, the sinew, and the claw,
Plain through the broken roof I saw;

The flight-feathers in tail and wing,
The shorter coverts, and the white
Merged into russet, marrying
The bright breast to the pinions bright,
Gold sequins, spots of chestnut, shower
Of silver, like a brindled flower.

Soldier of fortune, northwest Jack,
Old hard-times’ braggart, there you blow
But tell me ere your bagpipes crack
How you can make so brave a show,
Full-fed in February, and dressed
Like a rich merchant at a feast.

One-half the world, or so they say,
Knows not how half the world may live;
So sing your song and go your way,
And still in February contrive
As bright as Gabriel to smile
On elder-spray by broken tile.

Analysis:

The poem deals with an isolated lady who feels lonely in her house. The word hermitage suggests her loneliness. The patchy words used to highlight her feeling of isolation are dark, aloof, small, old, and the phrase I groped along . Hence the audience encounters an old woman who finds her solitude disturbing and tasteless. Bread is used to symbolise how she is enduring a stale life. Yet, she hears magical chirpings which are celestial food to her. She feels that her insight is changed.

 

The second stanza eulogises the invasive chirpings of the bird. The song is full of happiness and greets her to glorify nature, which plateaus her mood. Phrases chosen are glee, unfailing chorister, burst out in pride of poetry and singing glorified.  Pure joy is felt in the innocent chirping of the Stormcock which is announcing spring. Though, the poet does mention her broken roof she does not linger on it. She prefers to relish on the purity of the chirping.

 

The third stanza handles the mood of piety as well as a sustained beginning of the description of the singer.  The poet hides herself to be able to admire the bird. The second verse Myself unseen, I saw him there;  is oxymoronic. The poet makes use of contracdictions to emphasis on the need apprasing her saviour as she cannot come before the bird as the latter will be scared of her. Phrases used are throbbing throat, breast dewed from the misty air, polished bill and pointed tongue  paint the Stormcock as being majestic.

The description of the bird continues in the fourth stanza, revealing how the bird is strong despite being strong. Moreover, there is another oxymoron in how strongly used, how subtly made. In this vein the poet is floored by the beautiful and inspiring strength emanating from such a small creature. The scale, the sinew and the claw speak of the strength of the bird. Scale is a pun as it means size and music. Repetition of broken roof can be noted as the poet refers to her threadbare existence.

The fifth stanza deals with the kingly appearance of the bird. Though small, the bird is gloriously picturised having bright breast to the pinions bright, Gold sequins, spots of chestnuts, shower of silver: colours which luxuriantly rich. Repetition  of bright accentuates on how the bird shines. It is a messenger of hope and goodness. It brightens  her day and removes the staleness of her existence.

The sixth stanza starts with a praise of the bird- Soldier of fortune as it brings goodness to her. Her boredom collapses like eggshells, as she changes her outlook. Indeed, the Stormcock announces the arrival of Spring-  full-fed in February.  This alliterative phrase indulges one to already step into the jolliness of spring and its colours. The Stormcock is like a rich merchant at a feast  , showering its happiness everywhere.

The last stanza is conclusive with a tint of piety and hopefulness. The poet requests the bird to spread its message of love everywhere, to unite the world and to remove the darkness of ignorance. Hence, the poem ends on a note of delight, which grasses up the mood of the poet as well as the audience.  The poet compares the Stormcock to Gabriel –  the biblical archangel, who informs Virgin Mary of her newborn being the messenger of God. Thus, the Stormcock is a messenger, who gives solace to elder-spray ( a pun that means both old persons as well as older members of the church).