The Caged Skylark

Gerard Manley Hopkins

As a dare-gale skylark scanted in a dull cage,
Man's mounting spirit in his bone-house, mean house, dwells —
That bird beyond the remembering his free fells;
This in drudgery, day-labouring-out life's age.
Though aloft on turf or perch or poor low stage
Both sing sometímes the sweetest, sweetest spells,
Yet both droop deadly sómetimes in their cells
Or wring their barriers in bursts of fear or rage.

Not that the sweet-fowl, song-fowl, needs no rest —

Why, hear him, hear him babble & drop down to his nest,
But his own nest, wild nest, no prison.

Man's spirit will be flesh-bound, when found at best,

But uncumberèd: meadow-down is not distressed
For a rainbow footing it nor he for his bónes rísen.

● Metaphorical meaning of the poem underscores how cruel and unnatural it is to imprison the skylark, by
relating it to us humans and the human condition, leaving a more vivid impression of the bird on the
reader

Quote Significance

Structure The first two stanzas are compressed, which intensifies the containment of
the skylark, by imposing visual restrictions on the reader

● These visual restrictions make it hard to read, thus amplifying how

the poet sees containing the bird as abnormal.

● Sonnet: very structured, which parallels the rigidity of life’s prison

The Caged Skylark To be caged means to be imprisoned, and a skylark is a bird often associated
with freedom. This oxymoron creates a dramatic title that causes the reader
to imagine the unusual scenario of the bird and its imprisonment.

“Dare-gale” Diction: ‘dare-gale’ represents how daring and bold the skylark is. As one of
the first few words in the poem, it establishes that the bird is not one to be
contained
● Defies strong winds, daredevil, feisty and spirited

‘Scanted in a dull cage’ ● Diction: limited, constrained, reduced to a trapped and confined
space
 ● Alliteration of plosive /d/: sense of abruptness, eliciting a dismal
feeling in the reader // bird’s plight

● “Skylark scanted’: Alliteration of the ‘sk’ sound creates a cacophony,

showing the conflict created by restricting the skylark

‘Man’s mounting spirit in his bone Man’s aspiring soul is leashed by the constraints of his mortal and corruptible
house, mean house, dwells’ body

● Human body is like a “cage” that limits man from achieving spiritual
perfection/harmony

● Like an imprisoned bird, man’s spirit longs to soar heavenwards but

is limited by his human body

● Alliteration of /m/ throughout the line: builds up emphasis on his

“mounting” spirit
● Alternatively? Alliteration of m → muted nasal sound suggests how
imposing man’s cage is → silencing the mounting spirit

‘That bird beyond the ● “Bird” or man’s soul has been trapped for so long that they cannot
remembering of his free fells’ remember the experience of being free

● Alliteration of plosive bilabial /b/ and fricative /f/: harsh physical

sound creates an sinister feeling in the reader, akin to the sinister
constraining of the soul by the mortal body

‘This in drudgery, day-labouring- ● Life is hard, dull, menial, and monotonous work // hard life of the
out life’s age’ bird, and how each day is the same never-ending cycle

● Alliteration of plosive /d/ produces a harsh sound that elicits feelings

of dismay in the reader, drawing a parallel to the sadness of life’s
monotony

‘Though aloft on turf or perch or “Cage, age, stage” → elongated, mournful sounds
poor low stage’

‘Both sing sometimes the “Both”: refers to bird AND humanity

sweetest, sweetest spells’
● No matter where the bird is, it still sings sweetly in an attempt to
make life more beautiful
○ No matter the circumstances some humans find
themselves, they try to spread love and beauty
○ Anaphora of “sweetest”
 ● Sibilance: hushed reverential tone, drawing parallels to the heavenly
beauty of their “sweet spells”

‘Yet both droop deadly sometimes Heads hang low in resignation of their fate
in their cells’
● Alliteration of plosive /d/: harsh sounds that elicits feelings of
dismay, sympathy for the bird in the reader

‘Or wring their barriers in bursts of As the bird tries to escape its cage, humans try to be different and break free
fear or rage’ from life’s monotony to rise heavenwards

● Alliteration of plosive bilabial /b/: harsh physical sounds that

reinforce the vehemence of their efforts to break free

Not that the sweet-fowl, song-
fowl, needs no rest — / Why, hear
him, hear him babble and drop
down to his nest, / But his own
nest, wild nest, no prison.
● A free bird sings gaily and rests in the nest he has created
○ Humanity’s “nest” is the choices they made in their lifetime
that decide whether they go to heaven
● Repetition of “hear him” and “nest” serves as a contrast to remind
humans that: the bird is free, and they aren’t

● Given that Heaven is our ‘own nest, wild nest’, instead of wasting
every day working to make money that would be worthless in our
eternal time in Heaven, we should spend our time doing kind acts
and being pious to secure our place in Heaven.

‘Man’s spirit will be flesh-bound ● The human spirit will attain glory and immortality after resurrection
when found at best’ and death
● The soul will be in the body even in heaven

‘But uncumbered: meadow-down
is not distressed / For a rainbow
footing it nor he for his bones
risen’
The soul will not be disturbed by the body’s resurrected bones, like how the
delicate plants that surround the meadow are not burdened by a rainbow
when its base comes to rest over them.
● Rainbow // sign of beauty, grace, and hardships overcome →
pleasant feeling in the reader

How does Hopkins vividly convey thoughts and feelings about the bird in this poem?

Hopkins associates the bird with freedom, and uses it as a medium for expressing our restricted spirit.

Paragraph 1: The bird is feisty and should not be reduced to an unnatural life of drudgery

Paragraph 2: Draws sympathy: it is torn between rebellion and resignation

Paragraph 3: One day it will transcend its prison

Metaphorical meanings that don’t fit the question but are useful in case they ask about humans or something
● We shouldn’t live for the body, but live for the soul. Life is fleeting, but time in Heaven is eternal. When
we die, our body doesn’t go to heaven, but our soul does.
○ The skylark’s ‘own nest’ is a metaphor for Heaven. Our life on Earth is where we make our nest in
heaven where we belong and can rest peacefully
■ Gives hope to everyone that while we are now trapped in the human condition, there
will be a better life for us in Heaven, where we will be without burden
■ Possibly making the reader reevaluate decisions they have made. Will they earn their
nest in Heaven by doing good deeds on earth?

AO4 (personal response):

● The feelings that are implied about humanity and how they are presented by the bird