Author: Alfred Lord Tennyson

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I.

Once more the Heavenly Power
Makes all things new,
And domes the red-plowd hills
With loving blue;
The blackbirds have their wills,
The throstles too.

 

II.

Opens a door in heaven;
From skies of glass
A Jacobs ladder falls
On greening grass,
And oer the mountain-walls
Young angels pass.

 

III.

Before them fleets the shower,
And burst the buds,
And shine the level lands,
And flash the floods;
The stars are from their hands
Flung thro the woods,

 

IV.

The woods with living airs
How softly fannd,
Light airs from where the deep,
All down the sand,
Is breathing in his sleep,
Heard by the land.

 

V.

O, follow, leaping blood,
The seasons lure!
O heart, look down and up
Serene, secure,
Warm as the crocus cup,
Like snowdrops, pure!

 

VI.

Past, Future glimpse and fade
Thro some slight spell,
A gleam from yonder vale,
Some far blue fell,
And sympathies, how frail,
In sound and smell!

 

VII.

Till at thy chuckled note,
Thou twinkling bird,
The fairy fancies range,
And, lightly stirrd,
Ring little bells of change
From word to word.

 

VIII.

For now the Heavenly Power
Makes all things new,
And thaws the cold, and fills
The flower with dew;
The blackbirds have their wills,
The poets too.

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a vibrant celebration of renewal, presenting nature as a transformative, cyclical force that stirs both the physical and emotional landscapes. The motif of rebirth is recurrent, embodied by the "Heavenly Power" that renews all things and the changing seasons that prompt the "leaping blood" of vitality. This theme is amplified by a tone of joy and reverence, which is echoed in the vivid and dynamic descriptions of natural phenomena.

The poem's structure mirrors its thematic progression, with stanzas that move through distinctive but interconnected scenes. The use of strong, sensory language, such as "thaws the cold, and fills / The flower with dew", heightens the sense of being immersed in nature's transformation. The incorporation of direct address, particularly in the fifth stanza, creates an intimate relationship between the poem and the reader, inviting them to partake in the observed change and renewal. The poem concludes with the affirmation that this rejuvenating power extends not just to blackbirds but also to poets, suggesting a symbiotic relationship between creativity and the natural world. Literary devices such as metaphors (as seen in the "Jacobs ladder" and "little bells of change") serve to enrich the poem's narrative and thematic depth, introducing spiritual and whimsical elements that further underscore the wonder and enchantment of nature.