The poem
One without looks in tonight Through the curtain-chink >From the sheet of glistening white; One without looks in tonight As we sit and think By the fender-brink.
We do not discern those eyes Watching in the snow; Lit by lamps of rosy dyes We do not discern those eyes Wandering, aglow Four-footed, tiptoe.
This was one of the poems we had to read as part of our IGCSE Poetry Anthology. A short poem, it has so much meaning that we are left awed at the power of poetry in spreading intense meanings compactly. This is a poem dealing with nature but has a deeper connotation. The character in this poem that has the major role is a deer who is "one without", i.e. he is deprived. He "looks in tonight" while we sit by "the…
Read the whole commentThis was one of the poems we had to read as part of our IGCSE Poetry Anthology. A short poem, it has so much meaning that we are left awed at the power of poetry in spreading intense meanings compactly.
This is a poem dealing with nature but has a deeper connotation. The character in this poem that has the major role is a deer who is "one without", i.e. he is deprived. He "looks in tonight" while we sit by "the fender-brink". Basically there is a huge contrast that Hardy paints between the needy and the fulfilled.
The rhyme in this poem is rather memorable and so is the structure. It is a simply beautiful poem, not hard to understand, but carries a great impact.
I'm sure you will enjoy the poem as much as I did. :)