1.2 ‘The Sparrow’ - Paul Laurence Dunbar

 ‘The Sparrow’ 

                     - Paul Laurence  Dunbar

A little bird, with plumage brown,

Beside my window flutters down,

A moment chirps its little strain,

Ten taps upon my window pane,

And chirps again, and hops along,

To call my notice to its song;

But I work on, nor heed its lay,

Till, in neglect, it flies away.

 

So birds of peace and hope and love

Come fluttering earthward from above,

To settle on life's window- sills,

And ease our load of earthly ills;

But we, in traffic's rush and din

Too deep engaged to let them in,

With deadened heart and sense plod on,

Nor know our loss till they are gone.

 

About the poet:

Paul Laurence Dunbar (June 27, 1872 – February 9, 1906) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to parents who had been enslaved in Kentucky before the American Civil War, Dunbar began writing stories and verse when he was a child. He published his first poems at the age of 16 in a Dayton newspaper, and served as president of his high school's literary society. 

Dunbar's popularity increased rapidly after his work was praised by William Dean Howells, a leading editor associated with Harper's Weekly. Dunbar became one of the first African-American writers to establish an international reputation. In addition to his poems, short stories, and novels, he also wrote the lyrics for the musical comedy In Dahomey (1903), the first all-African-American musical produced on Broadway in New York. The musical later toured in the United States and the United Kingdom. Suffering from tuberculosis, which then had no cure, Dunbar died in Dayton, Ohio, at the age of 33. 

Much of Dunbar's more popular work in his lifetime was written in the "Negro dialect" associated with the antebellum South, though he also used the Midwestern regional dialect of James Whitcomb Riley. Dunbar also wrote in conventional English in other poetry and novels and is considered the first important African American sonnet writer. Since the late 20th century, scholars have become more interested in these other works.  

Summary of the poem:

The poem "The Sparrow" is divided into two eight line stanzas where the poet first describes a particular incident before drawing a comparison between it and more significant social problems. The rhyme structure and rhythm are the same in both stanzas. The speaker mentions a single chirping bird in the opening line that they choose to ignore. The speaker describes how birds have a metaphorical meaning in the second stanza.

Part - I

The poet says that sparrows or birds with their (plumage) brown feathers come down to his window. They fly very fast and get closer to attract his attention. They also give a small noise, to make a short high sound or sounds, to attract his hearing sense. So, they flutter and chirps doing great physical efforts to attract the attention of Man in general and the poet particularly, after trying to attract the poets attention. 

So, fluttering and hoping are it's means of attraction. Sparrow started singing and added more efforts to attract their attention, however all tries met with neglect and ignorance. Finally he flew away sadly and hopelessly when humans neglected him and let it fly far away with a broken heart. 

Part- 2

The poet says that birds are always a symbol of great values like love, peace and hope. Sparrows come to Earth to relieve or help us get red of life's loads and problems. Sparrows try to get closer but Man unintentionally ignore them because of traffic, obstacles or problems of life. People are busy with life matters, that they can not enjoy the songs or beauty of such a bird. Unlikely, we do not recognize them until they leave or we lose them indeed. 

Figures of speech:

"And ease our load of earthly ills"  -  It is a Metaphor.

Metaphor: A metaphor is a figure of speech that, directly refers to one thing by mentioning another.