Introduction
This is an analysis of Dylan Thomas’ poem “Fern Hill.” In this piece, we explore how Thomas weaves images of nature and time to reveal the poignant irony of youthful bliss and the inevitability of death.
Overview of “Fern Hill”
Winter is sometimes associated with death and the poem “Fern Hill” takes place in the fall, which is just before winter. This reminds us of the theme of impending death. Shakespeare believed that each day we live is one step closer to death, which is also the message of “Fern Hill.”
Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
First Stanza: Green Youth and Timeless Play
The first stanza of “Fern Hill” describes the speaker playing as a child who is green (a color often associated with youth) and unaware of the passage of time. It is fall, which forecasts eventual death (or the winter of life). There is also the personification of time as a man.
Second Stanza: Juxtaposition of Gold and Green
In the second stanza, there are beautiful images of nature and unawareness of the passage of time as gold (associated with aging) being juxtaposed with green, symbolizing youth.
Third Stanza: Foreshadowing Life’s End
The third stanza also foreshadows death as the child rides through life as he ages. The lightening or life will eventually disappear or life will go out. We see the passage of time throughout this stanza as well.
Fourth Stanza: Biblical Allusion and Continued Passage
In the fourth stanza, he mentions Adam and Eve, which, of course, foreshadows death. The passage of time continues.
Fifth Stanza: Cycles of Life and Innocence
In the fifth stanza, the sun is being born over and over representing the passage of time and cycles of life. The boy is carefree and unaware of his own eventual death. The images of green and gold show that the young replace the old. “Out of grace” is another reference to Adam and Eve and the fall of humanity, which led to all of us have to die. The moon rising instead of the sun shows the passage of time as the boy ages like the day becoming closer tonight or death.
Famous Lines: Chains of Time
The lines “Time held me green and dying/ Though I sang in my chains like the sea” are very famous lines that the boy (and eventual man) was dying each day he lived his life but was blissfully unaware as he was busy living his life. He sings like the sea, which is timeless, but he is not, as all humans are mortal.
Thematic Contrast: Celebration and Lament
The first six lines of “Fern Hill” praise life at Fern Hill as a child, and the last six lines lament life because the speaker is older now and realizes that throughout his childhood he was actually dying but was blissfully unaware of his mortality.
Ironic Message of “Fern Hill”
The message of this poem is very ironic. It is ironic that we are unaware of our mortality and take it for granted until we are older and close to death and then we become more aware of our mortality and the shortness of life when it is too late to take advantage of every moment of life.
Conclusion
Dylan Thomas’s “Fern Hill” masterfully blends pastoral imagery and temporal metaphors to remind readers that each moment of youth, though seemingly infinite, brings us ever closer to our inevitable end. Through vivid color symbolism, biblical allusions, and poignant reflections on time, Thomas invites us to cherish life’s fleeting moments before they slip away.
