TO THE CUCKOO PRESENTATION

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TO THE CUCKOO PRESENTATION

• Poem By William Wordsworth
• Presentation Group K McCafferty, N Porter, P
  Manmindar and L Neumann.

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To The Cuckoo The Poem

• O blithe newcomer! I have heard,I hear thee and
  rejoiceO Cuckoo! shall I call thee bird,Or but
  a wandering Voice?While I am lying on the
  grassI hear thy restless shoutFrom hill to
  hill it seems to pass,About. and all about!

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To The Cuckoo The Poem

• To me, no Babbler with a taleOf sunshine and of
  flowers,Thou tellest, Cuckoo! in the valeOf
  visionary hours.Thrice welcome, darling of the
  Spring!Even yet thou art to meNo bird, but an
  invisible thing,A voice, a mystery

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To The Cuckoo The Poem

• The same whom in my schoolboy daysI listened to
  that CryWhich made me look a thousand waysIn
  bush, and tree, and sky.To seek thee did I
  often roveThrough woods and on the greenAnd
  thou wert still a hope, a loveStill longed for,
  never seen!

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To The Cuckoo The Poem

• And I can listen to thee yetCan lie upon the
  plainAnd listen, till I do begetThat golden
  time again.O blessed bird! the earth we
  paceAgain appears to beAn unsubstantial, faery
  place,That is fit home for Thee!

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To The Cuckoo The Poem

• O blithe newcomer! I have heard,I hear thee
  and rejoiceO Cuckoo! shall I call thee bird,Or
  but a wandering Voice?While I am lying on the
  grassI hear thy restless shoutFrom hill to
  hill it seems to pass,About. and all about!To
  me, no Babbler with a taleOf sunshine and of
  flowers,Thou tellest, Cuckoo! in the valeOf
  visionary hours.Thrice welcome, darling of the
  Spring!Even yet thou art to meNo bird, but an
  invisible thing,A voice, a mystery

• The same whom in my schoolboy daysI listened
  to that CryWhich made me look a thousand
  waysIn bush, and tree, and sky.To seek thee
  did I often roveThrough woods and on the
  greenAnd thou wert still a hope, a loveStill
  longed for, never seen!And I can listen to thee
  yetCan lie upon the plainAnd listen, till I do
  begetThat golden time again.O blessed bird!
  the earth we paceAgain appears to beAn
  unsubstantial, faery place,That is fit home for
  Thee

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Extra or Background Facts

• To the Cuckoo is one of Wordsworths more less
  known poems. Very little is around on the
  background information of this poem, therefore
  the information you receive today is almost
  entirely student analysis.
• To the Cuckoo is an poem consisting of 8 stanzas.
• The Poem has a regular, simple rhyme scheme of
  ABAB
• The poem is addressed to a (the) Cuckoo. (not
  specified if he talks to the cuckoo from his past
  or one in present)
• Some critics believe that the poem is actually a
  Cuckoo Song, written for the Cuckoo to portray a
  better connection.
• The Cuckoo bird appears in various other poems of
  Wordworths. e.g. The Solitary Reaper and An
  Evening walk addressed to a young lady.
• In journals of Dorothy Wordsworth it states that
  she too also heard the Cuckoo once in may 1st in
  1802 (not a figment of imagination)

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Photos and Audio
Dideric Cuckoo Bird

• Striped Rancho Cuckoo

Guira Caimen Cuckoo
Pied Cuckoo
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To The Cuckoo The Poem

• O blithe newcomer! I have heard,I hear thee
  and rejoiceO Cuckoo! shall I call thee bird,Or
  but a wandering Voice?While I am lying on the
  grassI hear thy restless shoutFrom hill to
  hill it seems to pass,About. and all about!To
  me, no Babbler with a taleOf sunshine and of
  flowers,Thou tellest, Cuckoo! in the valeOf
  visionary hours.Thrice welcome, darling of the
  Spring!Even yet thou art to meNo bird, but an
  invisible thing,A voice, a mystery

• The same whom in my schoolboy daysI listened
  to that CryWhich made me look a thousand
  waysIn bush, and tree, and sky.To seek thee
  did I often roveThrough woods and on the
  greenAnd thou wert still a hope, a loveStill
  longed for, never seen!And I can listen to thee
  yetCan lie upon the plainAnd listen, till I do
  begetThat golden time again.O blessed bird!
  the earth we paceAgain appears to beAn
  unsubstantial, faery place,That is fit home for
  Thee

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Summary

• The Poem To the Cuckoo, written by William
  Wordsworth is a poem that is addressed to a
  Cuckoo bird. Wordsworth is lying on the grass,
  immersing himself in nature when he hears the
  sound of a Cuckoo bird crying. The Cuckoo birds
  cry strikes emotions in him that he has not
  visited since his childhood. He takes the birds
  cry to have a story behind it and true
  significance rather than disregarding the cry as
  most others would in this case. The cry makes
  Wordsworth recollect his childhood days when he
  first heard the bird. Its wandering voice leads
  him through the woods and valleys trying to find
  its origin, but he never finds the bird. The poem
  then brings us back to present day where
  Wordsworth can appreciate how the bird affects
  his memory. The poem ends with Wordsworth
  commenting that the bird is blessed and deserves
  to be in a mythical earth, where it resides.

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Summary 2

• This poem has been written in admiration and
  glorification of the cuckoo. The cuckoo becomes a
  symbol of beauty, innocence and childhood for the
  poet. The poet hears the cuckoo singing in a
  garden. Her song reminds him of the golden days
  of his childhood. The poet calls the cuckoo a
  happy stranger. He bears and enjoys her song bit
  is unable to see her. The cuckoo is more like a
  wandering voice than a bird to him.The cuckoo's
  double-cry seems to travel rapidly from hill to
  hill. Sometimes, it seems very near and some
  times very far away. The poet calls on the cuckoo
  but this is vain as he cannot trace her out. The
  poem presents a beautiful contrast between the
  poet and the cuckoo. The poet lives in the past.
  The cuckoo lives in the present.

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Analysis of Poem-Stanza 1

• O blithe newcomer! I have heard,
• -Wordsworth is addressing the bird all throughout
  the poem, it is dedicated to the Cuckoo bird.
• -Blithe Casual or carefree. Saying Oh blithe
  newcomer, Wordsworth is giving the bird the
  label of being merry and not being subject to the
  restriction of industrial life.
• -I have heard means he knows the bird (birds
  cry)I hear thee and rejoice
• -He is happy when he hears this birdO Cuckoo!
  shall I call thee bird,Or but a wandering Voice?
• -He wonders if he should label it as just a bird,
  or is it a creature bigger than the realms of his
  comprehension?
• -Wandering voice gives the bird the ability
  to be free and again not subject to regular human
  lifestyle restriction

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Analysis of Poem-Stanza 2

• While I am lying on the grassI hear thy restless
  shout 
• -The poem then states it is present time when
  Wordsworth hears the birds constant cry (check
  above for a striped cuckoos call)From hill to
  hill it seems to pass,About, and all about!
• -It seems to Wordsworth that the birds cry is
  echoing all around the hills he is in, the
  cuckoos call is passing around the area,
  submerging him into its song.

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Analysis of Poem-Stanza 3

• To me, no Babbler with a taleOf sunshine and of
  flowers,
• -These two lines indicate that this birds cry
  has so much more attached to it than one would
  perceive. no Babbler indicates the bird is not
  meaningless and does not just babble.
• -with a tale of sunshine and of flowers again
  portrays that the bird is not a meaningless
  creature with a story about flowers and sunshine,
  as most cuckoos songs would be.Thou tellest,
  Cuckoo! in the valeOf visionary hours.
• -This cuckoo tells a story of visionary hours
  or times from the past. The cuckoos song has an
  attachment to Wordsworths past.

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Analysis of Poem-Stanza 4

• Thrice welcome, darling of the Spring!
• -Wordsworth is happy to welcome the bird and its
  story. The thrice is an emphasis on his
  eagerness to invite the bird into his mentality.
  The Thrice may be an indication to his previous
  meetings with the bird.Even yet thou art to
  meNo bird, but an invisible thing, A voice, a
  mystery
• -These lines say that Wordsworth has actually
  never seen the bird and that it is a mysterious
  voice. The bird has been hidden to him over the
  years, yet it can still strike emotions in him.

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Analysis of Poem-Stanza 5

• The same whom in my schoolboy days
• -The cry is the same he heard as a child. The
  poem now enters into the pastI listened to that
  CryWhich made me look a thousand waysIn bush,
  and tree, and sky.
• -As a child he heard the birds cry. Yet again the
  birds cry was able to submerge him in its echo,
  he becomes captured in its melody and fascinated
  in finding the bird.

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Analysis of Poem-Stanza 6

• To seek thee did I often rove
• -The bird inspired him to seek it out. He did
  often rove looking for it, signifying that he
  had a deep attachment to this birds cry and that
  it was more than just a beautiful sound.Through
  woods and on the green
• -Searching far and wide. Dedicated to finding
  it.And thou wert still a hope, a love
• -He truly wants to find this bird. He still hopes
  to.Still longed for, never seen!
• -a love, Still longed for, never seen!
  Wordsworth reveals his love for this bird. He now
  tells us that he did indeed love the bird and was
  for this reason he searched for it. He never
  found the the bird but still yearns to.

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Analysis of Poem-Stanza 7

• And I can listen to thee yet
• -Poem enters present time again.Can lie upon the
  plainAnd listen, till I do beget
• - Beget ProduceThat golden time again.
• -The whole stanza only makes sense when analyzed
  together. He explains that now, he can hear the
  cuckoo birds cry while laying out in a field, and
  is able to produce the memories of what he
  considers his golden time. As a true romantic
  his years as a child are considered to be the
  best of his life (golden), and this Cuckoo bird
  is able to draw that emotion from him.

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Analysis of Poem-Stanza 8

• O blessed bird! the earth we pace
• -O blessed bird! indicates again how the entire
  poem is addressed to the Cuckoo but also his
  love. He loves the bird and indicates that it
  bestows joy and happiness to him.Again appears
  to be
• -Again he has visited this notion beforeAn
  unsubstantial, faery place,
• -This is the line that most difficulty to
  translate to modern english was found on.
  unsubstantial can take on the meanings of
  immaterial, flimsy or not true, and our
  best guess is that the word faery can take on
  the meaning of a closely spelt word, fairy. We
  deduct that seeing as modern scholars have
  published versions of the poem with the word
  fairy in the place of faery. Therefore we
  feel that Wordsworth is trying to say that the
  earth that both of them share is not strong or
  concrete (in the figurative sense) and that it is
  actually a mystical place because it can hold
  such immense natural beauty at the same time as
  holding such distained industrial evil.
• That is fit home for Thee
• -Wordsworth ends the poem by indicating that a
  home of such great versatility, being able to
  house two such opposing phenomenon, is a suitable
  home for such a beautiful and beloved creature.

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The Poem

• O blithe newcomer! I have heard,I hear thee
  and rejoiceO Cuckoo! shall I call thee bird,Or
  but a wandering Voice?While I am lying on the
  grassI hear thy restless shoutFrom hill to
  hill it seems to pass,About. and all about!To
  me, no Babbler with a taleOf sunshine and of
  flowers,Thou tellest, Cuckoo! in the valeOf
  visionary hours.Thrice welcome, darling of the
  Spring!Even yet thou art to meNo bird, but an
  invisible thing,A voice, a mystery

• The same whom in my schoolboy daysI listened
  to that CryWhich made me look a thousand
  waysIn bush, and tree, and sky.To seek thee
  did I often roveThrough woods and on the
  greenAnd thou wert still a hope, a loveStill
  longed for, never seen!And I can listen to thee
  yetCan lie upon the plainAnd listen, till I do
  begetThat golden time again.O blessed bird!
  the earth we paceAgain appears to beAn
  unsubstantial, faery place,That is fit home for
  Thee

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The Poem

• Cuckoo Bird,
• I have heard you before and am glad to hear you
  again.
• Shall I label you a bird or something greater?
• Im lying here on the grass.
• I hear your incessant cry.
• It is everywhere.
• You have a story, a meaningful one,
• It doesnt talk of insignificant things.
• You cuckoo bird, talk of things in another time.
• I welcome you yet again amazing creature,
• Even though I love you, I have never seen you.
• You are mysterious to me.

• I heard you once as a school boy.
• Your cry fascinated me,
• I was eager to find you
• I looked for you often,
• I went through forests and valleys for you.
• I never lost hope that I would find you.
• You were longer for but never seen!
• And now I can still listen to you,
• Lie here in the green again
• And I can produce memories from the golden times
  of childhood.
• You are an amazing creature!
• This world does not hold truth,
• It is so diverse, holding beauty and malice
• This is the home for you!

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Themes

• There are several themes evident throughout "To
  The Cuckoo" Some of these are also seen in
  Wordsworth's other poems.Nature
• Wordworths' opinion on nature is a central theme
  in "To the Cuckoo" as he sits taking in his
  surroundings listening to the song of the bird.
  Nature is a primary idea. In many of Wordsworths'
  works he illustrates his belief in romanticism
  and the deeper importance of being immersed in
  nature in response to the industrial revolution
  and the growing cities around him.Childhood and
  Memories
• As Wordsworth sits listening to, and looking for
  the Cuckoo he cannot see, he finds himself
  revisiting his childhood memories and school boy
  days as he often heard the song of the Cuckoo,
  yet he could never find it. The characterisation
  of the bird allows Wordsworth to merge his past
  recollections with the present. This theme
  illustrates the greater significance of the poem
  this poem is wordsworthss way of expressing how
  the memory is a key factor in preserving the
  delights and pleasures of being in touch with a
  divine being through nature.

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Themes

• The Cuckoo birds cry is not only significant
  because he believes the cuckoo itself is an
  extraordinary creature and represents a higher
  being, but because the Cuckoos cry is a trigger
  for him. Wordsworth is able to access memories
  from decades before hand of the golden time in
  his childhood via the message the cuckoo brings.
  Wordsworth is not only trying to convey the idea
  that the cuckoo bird is an outstanding creature
  and that its cry signifies a memory trigger, but
  he wants the reader to understand that true
  romantic notions in a childhood truly leave those
  that believe in preserving the innocence of
  childhood, and that no matter how many years
  pass, the true romanticism will always live on in
  believers. Although children are best in touch
  with the Divine and do not have to be subject to
  the industrial age, adults such as Wordsworth
  that keep believing, will help preserve the
  romantic way.