The Poplar Field-William Cowper

THE POPLAR FIELD

The poplars are felled; farewell to the shade,

And the whispering sound of the cool colonnade.

The winds play no longer and sing in the leaves,

Nor Ouse on his bosom their image receives.

Twelve years have elapsed since I first took a

view.

Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;

And now in the grass behold they are laid,

And the tree is my seat that once lent me a shade!

The blackbird has fled to another retreat,

Where the hazels afford him a screen from the heat,

And the scene where his melody charmed me before

Resounds with his sweet-flowing ditty no more!

WILLIAM COWPER

Summary: 'The Poplar Field' is a poem written by William Cowper that reflects on the passage of time and the changes in the landscape. The speaker laments the loss of a beloved poplar grove, which has been cut down, ending the shade and the soothing sounds of the trees. The winds no longer rustle the leaves, and the river Ouse no longer reflects their image.

The poem conveys a sense of nostalgia and loss as the speaker recalls that twelve years ago, the field was a favourite place, and now it lied with the poplars felled. The speaker now finds solace in sitting beneath the stump of one of the felled trees. The once melodious blackbird has also moved to a new location with hazel trees to shield him from the sun, and the place that once resonated with the bird's song is now silent.

'The Poplar Field' captures the passage of time and the inevitable changes in the natural world, leaving the speaker with a sense of melancholy and the loss of a cherished place of solace and beauty.