Analysis of the poem To the Cuckoo by William Wordsworth: 

William Wordsworth was one of the founders of English Romanticism. 'Daffodils', is one of
the most famous poem in the English language and it is considered a classic of English
romantic poetry.

The poet then begins narrating how he came across the cuckoo’s song, while he was lying
on the grass. He recognizes the bird by his distinguishable twofold cry which echoes across
hills and valleys, submerging the poet in his voice. In the third stanza the poet confesses
how the bird’s songs about flowers and valleys actually transport him to his childhood days
and acts as a catalyst in bringing back memories of his past. Then the poet moves on to
clearly state that in actuality he has never seen the bird, but has only heard his voice. The
cuckoo remains a mystery to the poet. Continuing with the nostalgic tones, the poet narrates
how in his school days he used to desperately search for the cuckoo in every possible haunt,
be it bushes or trees or the sky. The cuckoo’s melody enthralled the poet and awakened
within him a desire to find the source of this enchantment. Referring to his childhood as
golden, the poet explains how precious his past memories are to him. In the final stanza the
poet States the two contradictory pictures of the earth, as a place filled with restrictions of
materialistic life and as a place that is brimming with mystical wonders of nature.

Poetic Devices

Alliteration is Wandering Voice, Hill to hill, and Blessed bird. The repetition of initial
consonant sounds, alliterations creates rhythm and mood in the poem to capture the interest
of the reader and the entire poem can be taken in its totality as an extended metaphor of
time. It may be the through the cuckoo, the poet is actually referring to time. Time is
unstable and wanders of its own accord.
The personification in this poem is Babbling, shouting, crying, the terms used to describe
the cuckoo’s articulation, are actually the vocal characteristics of humans. The
Hyperbole,The earth is called an “unsubstantial, faery place”. This is to create an image of a
mystical place and also, to add mystery to the cuckoo who has never been seen by the poet
in actuality. The poet makes immense use of imagery in To the Cuckoo. The reader’s mind
is projected with the picture of Spring in England. The usage of words like sunshine,
flowers, Vale (valley) creates a sunny and happy image. The poet also gives away the
season when he refers to the cuckoo as the “Darling of Spring”. To the Cuckoo is a poem
consisting of eight stanzas, each being a quatrain, i.e. consisting of four lines. A rhyme
scheme of ABAB is followed throughout the poem. Thus, the poem follows an
alternate rhyme scheme.

Answer the following questions:

Q1. How does Wordsworth use form, rhyme scheme and meter to convey his meaning?

Wordsworth uses stanzas in his poems and each stanza is short and precise with only a few
words he makes use of exclamation marks commas and full stops to convey his message
rhyme is also used in the poem in different areas like ways and days etc

Q2. What does the ‘Cuckoo’ bird symbolize in this poem?

The poem 'To the Cuckoo' by 'William Wordsworth is about happy memories.

The poet hears the sound of the Cuckoo bird which brings back his beautiful childhood
memories.

Q3. What is meant by ‘wandering voice’ in the poem ‘To the Cuckoo’?

The “wandering voice” signifies that the Cuckoo wanders from one place to another and
so does his cheerful and lively voice.

Q4. How does the poem ‘To the Cuckoo’ remind Wordsworth of his childhood?

The cuckoo's double-cry seems to travel rapidly from hill to hill. Sometimes, it
seems very near and sometimes very far away. The poet welcomed the cuckoo
not once but thrice. To him, the cuckoo is the beloved of the spring season. But
still, she is not a bird to him. She is only a voice, a secret and an invisible thing.
In his childhood, the poet used to search for the cuckoo whenever he heard her
cry. He looked anywhere to trace her out. The poet used to wander in fields and
forests, meadows and mountains in search of the cuckoo, but in vain. The poem
presents a beautiful contrast between the poet and the cuckoo. The poet lives in
the past. The cuckoo lives in the present.

Q5. What is the main theme of ‘To the Cuckoo’ poem by William Wordsworth?

To the Cuckoo by Wordsworth is poem of joy and happy memories. The

little song-bird, cuckoo comes to England in early spring. Wordsworth hears the
twofold shout of the cuckoo and looks around but the bird is nowhere to be
seen. He rejoices to hear the old familiar cry of joy that passes from hill to hill.

Q6. What do the ‘visionary hours’ refer to in this poem?

The reference of “visionary hours” is a ramification of times that the writer can't

get back. The poet's bliss can be felt all through the poem through the use of
terms like “rejoice”, “Thrice welcome”, “darling of the Spring!”

Q7. What does the poet mean by “Oh blithe newcomer” in this poem?

The poet, William Wordsworth, addresses the cuckoo as the Blithe Newcomer' in the

beginning of the poem. He calls it a newcomer because its song captivates and moves him
to supreme spiritual joy.

Q8. What do you understand by ‘’that golden time again’’ in poem ‘To the Cuckoo’?

Golden time refer to be for better time to live and the best time to spend with little birds of
itself.