Summary

The speaker describes once seeing a bird come down the walk, unaware that it was being watched. The
bird ate an angleworm, then drank a Dew / From a convenient Grass, then hopped sideways to let a
beetle pass by. The birds frightened, bead-like eyes glanced all around. Cautiously, the speaker offered
him a Crumb, but the bird unrolled his feathers and flew awayas though rowing in the water, but
with a grace gentler than that with which Oars divide the ocean or butterflies leap off Banks of
Noon; the bird appeared to swim without splashing.
Form
Structurally, this poem is absolutely typical of Dickinson, using iambic trimeter with occasional foursyllable lines, following a loose ABCB rhyme scheme, and rhythmically breaking up the meter with
long dashes. (In this poem, the dashes serve a relatively limited function, occurring only at the end of
lines, and simply indicating slightly longer pauses at line breaks.)
Commentary
Emily Dickinsons life proves that it is not necessary to travel widely or lead a life full of Romantic
grandeur and extreme drama in order to write great poetry; alone in her house at Amherst, Dickinson
pondered her experience as fully, and felt it as acutely, as any poet who has ever lived. In this poem, the
simple experience of watching a bird hop down a path allows her to exhibit her extraordinary poetic
powers of observation and description.
Dickinson keenly depicts the bird as it eats a worm, pecks at the grass, hops by a beetle, and glances
around fearfully. As a natural creature frightened by the speaker into flying away, the bird becomes an
emblem for the quick, lively, ungraspable wild essence that distances nature from the human beings
who desire to appropriate or tame it. But the most remarkable feature of this poem is the imagery of its
final stanza, in which Dickinson provides one of the most breath-taking descriptions of flying in all of
poetry. Simply by offering two quick comparisons of flight and by using aquatic motion (rowing and
swimming), she evokes the delicacy and fluidity of moving through air. The image of butterflies
leaping off Banks of Noon, splashlessly swimming though the sky, is one of the most memorable in
all Dickinsons writing.

Summary
The speaker describes once seeing a bird come down the walk, unaware that it was being watched. The
bird ate an angleworm, then drank a Dew / From a convenient Grass, then hopped sideways to let a
beetle pass by. The birds frightened, bead-like eyes glanced all around. Cautiously, the speaker offered
him a Crumb, but the bird unrolled his feathers and flew awayas though rowing in the water, but
with a grace gentler than that with which Oars divide the ocean or butterflies leap off Banks of
Noon; the bird appeared to swim without splashing.
Form
Structurally, this poem is absolutely typical of Dickinson, using iambic trimeter with occasional foursyllable lines, following a loose ABCB rhyme scheme, and rhythmically breaking up the meter with
long dashes. (In this poem, the dashes serve a relatively limited function, occurring only at the end of

lines, and simply indicating slightly longer pauses at line breaks.)

Commentary
Emily Dickinsons life proves that it is not necessary to travel widely or lead a life full of Romantic
grandeur and extreme drama in order to write great poetry; alone in her house at Amherst, Dickinson
pondered her experience as fully, and felt it as acutely, as any poet who has ever lived. In this poem, the
simple experience of watching a bird hop down a path allows her to exhibit her extraordinary poetic
powers of observation and description.
Dickinson keenly depicts the bird as it eats a worm, pecks at the grass, hops by a beetle, and glances
around fearfully. As a natural creature frightened by the speaker into flying away, the bird becomes an
emblem for the quick, lively, ungraspable wild essence that distances nature from the human beings
who desire to appropriate or tame it. But the most remarkable feature of this poem is the imagery of its
final stanza, in which Dickinson provides one of the most breath-taking descriptions of flying in all of
poetry. Simply by offering two quick comparisons of flight and by using aquatic motion (rowing and
swimming), she evokes the delicacy and fluidity of moving through air. The image of butterflies
leaping off Banks of Noon, splashlessly swimming though the sky, is one of the most memorable in
all Dickinsons writing.
In the Garden
A bird came down the walk:
He did not know I saw;
He bit an angle-worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw.
And then he drank a dew
From a convenient grass,
And then hopped sidewise to the wall
To let a beetle pass.
He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all abroad,-They looked like frightened beads, I thought;
He stirred his velvet head
Like one in danger; cautious,
I offered him a crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home
Than oars divide the ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or butterflies, off banks of noon,
Leap, plashless, as they swim.
The speaker observes the bird and tries to establish contact with the bird by offering it food. The bird
flies off. A few of the speaker's details describe the bird as a wild creature in nature, and more details
present his behavior and his appearance in terms of human behavior.
Because the bird does not know the speaker is present, he behaves naturally, that is, his behavior is not
affected by her presence. We see the bird's "wildness" or non-humanness in his biting the worm in half

and eating it. "Raw" continues to emphasize his wildness. Ironically the word "raw" carries an
implication of civilized values and practices ("raw" implicitly contrasts with cooked food). Why
mention that the bird ate the worm raw? Would you expect the bird to cook the worm? In contrast, the
fact that the bird "came" down the walk sounds civilized, socialized. Does this description sound like
someone walking on a sidewalk?
The birds' drinking dew (note the alliteration) suggests a certain refinement, and "from a grass" makes
the action resemble the human action of drinking from a glass. And the bird politely allows a beetle to
pass.
In lines one and two, the description of the bird's looking around is factual description and suggests the
bird's caution and fear, as well as a possible threat in nature. With lines three and four, the speaker
describes the bird in terms of civilization, with "beads" and "velvet."
The idea of danger in nature is made explicit but remains a minor note in this stanza and in the poem. It
occupies only half a line, "Like one in danger." "Cautious," the speaker offers the crumb. How is
"cautious " meant? Does the speaker feel the need to be cautious? or does she offer the crumb
cautiously? (One of the characteristics of Dickinson's poetry is a tendency to drop endings as well as
connecting words and phrases; you have to decide whether she has dropped the -ly ending from
"cautious.")
Her action causes the bird to fly off. Her description of his flight details his beauty and the grace of his
flight, a description which takes six lines. Does the idea of danger or of the bird's beauty receive more
emphasis, or are the danger and the beauty emphasized equally? Does it matter in this poem whether
one receives more emphasis than the other, that is, would the different emphases affect the meaning of
the poem?
I am suggesting that this poem reveals both the danger and the beauty of nature. Does the poem support
this reading? What might Dickinson's purpose be in having the narrator see the bird in "civilized"
terms? Is it a way of pushing away or of controlling the threat and terrors that are always present and
may suddenly appear in nature

Critical Analysis of 'A Bird came down the Walk'

In 'A Bird came down the Walk-', nature is presented in various ways. Dickinson experiences the
benevolence within nature. This contrasts with the cruel and unmerciful aspects of nature that are also
evident in the poem. The narrator feels a sense of belonging with nature as she observes in awe.
However, at times, she feels alienated due to the differences between animals and humans.
Nature is initially presented as a brutal force. Dickinson creates vivid imagery of an 'Angleworm' being
bitten 'in halves' by the bird. The bird's basic need for sustenance takes priority over its other instincts,
causing it to behave mercilessly towards its prey. Similarly, in 'A Narrow Fellow in the Grass', the
snake is portrayed as a malevolent character. The fear of being 'zero at the bone' or paralysed by its
venom presents nature as a threatening, ominous force. This demonstrates the brutality of the natural
world through predator-prey relationships, driven by the desire to survive. Dickinson identifies this as
the cruel and evil aspect of nature.
The beauty of nature is also evident in this poem. The final two stanzas describe the bird flying away.
This sight is 'softer' or more relaxing than the 'oars' that 'divide' the ocean. As the comparative 'softer' is
used, it suggests that the natural sight of a bird flying is more beautiful than boat oars that create gentle
ripples in the water. This implies natural beauty surpasses manmade beauty, as oars and boats are
manmade. Use of enjambment creates a relaxed tone. This harmonises with the water effect of the

'ocean' and the tranquil image of a bird flying away, which supports the idea of nature being beautiful.
Similarly, in 'A Narrow Fellow in the Grass', the snake 'divides' the grass like 'a comb'. The effect of
this simile is that it creates a gentle, harmless image. This also suggests that nature possesses tranquil
and beautiful qualities.

A Bird, came down the Walk

By Emily Dickinson
A Bird, came down the Walk He did not know I saw He bit an Angle Worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,
And then, he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let a Beetle pass He glanced with rapid eyes,
That hurried all abroad They looked like frightened Beads, I thought,
He stirred his Velvet Head. Like one in danger, Cautious,
I offered him a Crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers,
And rowed him softer Home Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,
Leap, plashless as they swim.