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The Kingfisher by William Henry Davies
The Kingfisher by William Henry Davies
poemanalysis.com/william-h-davies/the-kingfisher/
In ‘The Kingfisher’ Davies explores themes of solitude, nature, and beauty. The poem
depicts the colours of the kingfisher, a small to medium-mixed brightly coloured bird.
They are often deep blue, orange and yellow. It is likely that Davies was speaking about
the common kingfisher, the most populous species in the United Kingdom.
In regards to the meter, the lines are all divided into four sets of two beats, for a total of
eight syllables per line.
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Epistrophe is the repetition of the same word, or a phrase, at the end of multiple lines or
sentences. In this case, Davies ends lines two and seven with the word “hues”. This
provides the reader with a clue that the colour, if one was not already aware, is
incredibly important in this short piece of poetry.
Alliteration occurs when words are used in succession, or at least appear close together,
and begin with the same sound. For example, left” and “lovely” in line two and
“shining” an “show” in lines nine and ten.
Lines 1-8
In the first lines of ‘The Kingfisher,’ the speaker begins by addressing the kingfisher.
This is a technique known as apostrophe. Apostrophe is an arrangement of words
addressing someone or something who does not exist or is not present, in the poem’s
immediate setting. The person, creature, or thing is spoken to as though they/it can
hear and understand the speaker’s words.
Davies also makes use of personification from the start. This is seen through his
depiction of the rainbow as a mother. It “gave…birth” to the kingfisher. It left “thee all
her lovely hues”. This is a very direct reference to the colours of the kingfisher’s
feathers.
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The next lines are quite figurative. They depict the rainbow’s nature. “her mother’s
names Tears”. This relates to rain and the presence of the rainbow after the rain has
cleared.
In lines seven and eight the speaker tells the kingfisher that is should go and be
confident while walking with the “proud peacocks
Lines 9-18
In the next set of lines the speaker goes on to describe the peacocks and the park and
how when there, the bird can show itself off. It can land on the boughs of trees and flap
its wings as it flies around. It should grace the windows “of proud kings” knowing that it
is just as grand and beautiful as anything in their palaces.
But, the thirteenth line asserts, this is not what the bird is going to do, for it is not vain.
It is not “proud” as the kings and peacocks are. There is no ambition in its mind. The
speaker relates their own perception of the world to the bird’s. They both like “a quiet
place / That’s green, away from all mankind”.
The speaker imagines being by a “lonely” or isolated pool under a tree. There, they can
be amongst the quiet happiness of nature and birds like the kingfisher.
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