Interpretation of To a Waterfowl by William Cullen Bryant

       “To a Waterfowl” is a beautiful lyric poem. When the poet saw the waterfowl on his way, the momentary sense of impression gave his inspiration to write his epiphany. There are 8 stanzas in this poem with four lines in each stanza.

       晚霞斜照 孤雁独飞 1-2

       The first two stanzas are the dialogue between the poet and the waterfowl. When he saw the waterfowl flying in the sky, he cannot help asking, “Where does your solitary way lead to? Where are you flying?” The depiction of the evening sky is beautiful. The heavens glow with the last steps of day or sunset, the sky is rosy. Due to your flight in the high sky, the fowler cannot do you wrong. Among the falling dew the solitary waterfowl is floating along in the crimson sky.

       飞往何方？ 湖，河，海？Stanza 3

He raises a question to the waterfowl in the third stanza. It is a stanza that leads from the waterfowl to the mysterious Power in the following three stanzas. Where are you flying?

Are you flying to the plashy brink of the weedy lake, or margin of wide river, or the chafed ocean—side where the rocking billows rise and sink？

       苍穹历险 回归家园 4-6

       It comes from the waterfowl to the mysterious Power in Stanza 4, Stanza 5 and Stanza 6. The mysterious Power leads the waterfowl to his sheltered nest. The Power can refer to God’s Power, the Power of nature or some mysterious Power. The waterfowl wanders in the high sky but not lost because the Power will teach his way along the pathless coast, the desert and the illimitable air.

Although the dark night is near, the waterfowl does not stoop to the welcome land and have fanned his wings all day in the cold and thin atmosphere.

Soon thou shall find a summer home and rest among the fellows. Reeds shall bend over the sheltered nest and that toil of the waterfowl shall end.

Conclusion 7-8 Power’s guidance主题升华(从水鸟到人类) 离群雁 孤寂人 茫然黑夜 坚定前行

Although the abyss of heaven has swallowed up the waterfowl’s form, the lesson you have given has sunk the lesson on my heart and shall not soon depart.

He or God’s Power or the mysterious power of nature who will guide the water’s flight through the boundless sky will lead my steps or the steps of the human beings aright.

诗歌原文

 To a Waterfowl

William Cullen Bryant

                                    Whither, midst falling dew,

                While glow the heavens with the last steps of day,

                  Far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue

                                          Thy solitary way?

                                      Vainly the fowler's eye

                    Might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong,

                          As, darkly seen against the crimson sky,

                                      Thy figure floats along.

                                 Seek'st thou the plashy brink

                          Of weedy lake, or marge of river wide,

                      Or where the rocking billows rise and sink

                                  On the chafed ocean-side?

                             There is a Power whose care

                 Teaches thy way along that pathless coast—

                            The desert and illimitable air—

                           Lone wandering, but not lost.

                             All day thy wings have fanned,

                  At that far height, the cold, thin atmosphere,

                     Yet stoop not, weary, to the welcome land,

                           Though the dark night is near.

                               And soon that toil shall end;

                  Soon shalt thou find a summer home, and rest,

                And scream among thy fellows; reeds shall bend,

                            Soon, o'er thy sheltered nest.

                      Thou 'rt gone, the abyss of heaven

           Hath swallowed up thy form; yet, on my heart

              Deeply hath sunk the lesson thou hast given,

                         And shall not soon depart.

                              He, who, from zone to zone,

            Guided through the boundless sky thy certain flight,

                      In the long way that I must tread alone,

                              Will lead my steps aright.