Introduction: “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
“Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas, first appeared in 1946 as part of his collection Deaths and Entrances, reflects on the innocence and beauty of childhood, exploring themes of time, memory, and the fleeting nature of youth. Thomas uses vivid, pastoral imagery to describe the speaker’s idyllic memories of growing up on a Welsh farm, embodying a sense of freedom and joy. As the poem progresses, there is a poignant shift, acknowledging the inevitable passage of time and the loss of innocence, ultimately rendering a bittersweet meditation on mortality. Thomas’s rich, lyrical style and his ability to evoke both the ecstasy of youth and the melancholy of aging have made Fern Hill enduringly popular. Its universal themes of nostalgia and the awareness of life’s impermanence resonate deeply, cementing its place as one of Thomas’s most celebrated works.
Text: “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs
About the lilting house and happy as the grass was green,
The night above the dingle starry,
Time let me hail and climb
Golden in the heydays of his eyes,
And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns
And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves
Trail with daisies and barley
Down the rivers of the windfall light.
And as I was green and carefree, famous among the barns
About the happy yard and singing as the farm was home,
In the sun that is young once only,
Time let me play and be
Golden in the mercy of his means,
And green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman, the calves
Sang to my horn, the foxes on the hills barked clear and cold,
And the sabbath rang slowly
In the pebbles of the holy streams.
All the sun long it was running, it was lovely, the hay
Fields high as the house, the tunes from the chimneys, it was air
And playing, lovely and watery
And fire green as grass.
And nightly under the simple stars
As I rode to sleep the owls were bearing the farm away,
All the moon long I heard, blessed among stables, the nightjars
Flying with the ricks, and the horses
Flashing into the dark.
And then to awake, and the farm, like a wanderer white
With the dew, come back, the cock on his shoulder: it was all
Shining, it was Adam and maiden,
The sky gathered again
And the sun grew round that very day.
So it must have been after the birth of the simple light
In the first, spinning place, the spellbound horses walking warm
Out of the whinnying green stable
On to the fields of praise.
And honoured among foxes and pheasants by the gay house
Under the new made clouds and happy as the heart was long,
In the sun born over and over,
I ran my heedless ways,
My wishes raced through the house high hay
And nothing I cared, at my sky blue trades, that time allows
In all his tuneful turning so few and such morning songs
Before the children green and golden
Follow him out of grace,
Nothing I cared, in the lamb white days, that time would take me
Up to the swallow thronged loft by the shadow of my hand,
In the moon that is always rising,
Nor that riding to sleep
I should hear him fly with the high fields
And wake to the farm forever fled from the childless land.
Oh as I was young and easy in the mercy of his means,
Time held me green and dying
Though I sang in my chains like the sea.
Annotations: “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
| Stanza | Annotation | Literary Devices and Explanation |
| 1st Stanza | The speaker reflects on his childhood, portraying it as an idyllic time filled with joy and freedom. The imagery is pastoral, with references to “apple towns” and “daisies,” evoking a rural, almost enchanted setting. The mention of “Time” hints at the poem’s underlying theme of mortality, though here Time allows the speaker to revel in the golden days of youth. | Personification: “Time let me hail and climb” portrays Time as an entity allowing the speaker freedom. Symbolism: The “apple boughs” and “green grass” symbolize innocence and youth. Imagery: Rich, pastoral imagery with “dingle starry” and “rivers of the windfall light.” Alliteration: “Green and golden” emphasizes harmony with nature and youth’s vibrancy. |
| 2nd Stanza | The speaker continues to reminisce, focusing on the farm as a place of freedom and joy. He is “green and carefree,” suggesting innocence and bliss. Time, again personified, allows him to play without worry. The stanza emphasizes a symbiotic relationship with nature, where the speaker is both “huntsman and herdsman.” | Personification: “Time let me play and be” reinforces Time as a benign force allowing freedom. Repetition: “Green and golden” enhances the poem’s focus on youth and vitality. Symbolism: The “sabbath” and “holy streams” introduce a sense of spiritual innocence. Onomatopoeia: “Barked clear and cold” evokes auditory imagery of foxes on the hills. |
| 3rd Stanza | The stanza captures the joy and timelessness of childhood as the speaker recalls a day filled with beauty and adventure. Nature is vibrant and omnipresent, and nighttime comes gently as the speaker drifts to sleep with owls carrying away the farm—a metaphor for the passage of time and perhaps the fading of memories. | Imagery: Descriptions like “hay fields high as the house” and “water green as grass” evoke vivid pastoral scenes. Personification: “Owls were bearing the farm away” symbolizes time gradually taking away the speaker’s childhood. Symbolism: The “owls” and “nightjars” symbolize wisdom and fleeting time, respectively. Metaphor: “Flying with the ricks” likens the passage of night to a flight, suggesting fleetingness. |
| 4th Stanza | Morning brings the farm back, now seen as an Eden-like paradise, untouched and pure. The imagery shifts to biblical, suggesting a primal, eternal world. The “sun grew round” hints at the cyclical nature of time, and the stanza conveys a sense of wonder at the beauty of the farm, as if it were the first day of creation. | Allusion: “Adam and maiden” references the story of Adam and Eve, symbolizing innocence and paradise. Imagery: “Shining” and “sky gathered again” suggest a new beginning, as if each day is reborn. Symbolism: “The sun grew round” symbolizes the continuity and renewal of life. Personification: “Sky gathered again” implies nature’s active role in creating a fresh start each day. |
| 5th Stanza | The speaker recalls running carefree through the farm, oblivious to the limitations that time imposes. He is lost in his “heedless ways,” chasing dreams without concern for the future. The stanza shifts slightly, hinting at the inevitability of growing up and the limited nature of youthful freedom, which “time allows” only for “so few and such morning songs.” | Symbolism: “The sun born over and over” reflects renewal, but also foreshadows that childhood is temporary. Imagery: Vivid images of freedom and light, as the speaker’s “wishes raced through the house high hay.” Metaphor: “Morning songs” represents the fleeting joy and innocence of childhood. Irony: The speaker realizes in retrospect that while he felt timeless, his time was finite. |
| 6th Stanza | The tone becomes more reflective and somber, with the speaker acknowledging that Time would eventually take him “up to the swallow thronged loft,” symbolizing death or the end of innocence. The imagery of the “childless land” suggests a world devoid of the innocence he once held, and the stanza’s ending echoes a sense of entrapment. | Metaphor: “The childless land” signifies a loss of innocence and the end of childhood. Personification: Time as a captor who “held me green and dying,” showing both the gift and curse of youthful vitality. Symbolism: “Chains like the sea” symbolizes the constraints of mortality and life’s inescapable flow. Irony: The speaker was “green and dying,” alive yet moving toward the inevitability of death. |
| 7th Stanza | The poem concludes with a powerful reflection on the dual nature of time, which held the speaker “green and dying.” Despite the constraints of mortality, the speaker finds beauty in this duality, “singing in chains like the sea,” embracing both freedom and limitation. This last line suggests an acceptance of the bittersweet nature of life. | Paradox: “Green and dying” contrasts youth (green) with mortality (dying), showing the irony of life’s fleeting nature. Simile: “Like the sea” compares the speaker’s life to the sea, vast and cyclical, with freedom within constraints. Metaphor: “Chains” symbolize the inevitable passage of time and life’s limitations. Tone: Melancholic and accepting, as the speaker reconciles the beauty and tragedy of life’s transience. |
Literary And Poetic Devices: “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
| Literary Device | Example | Explanation |
| Alliteration | “Green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman” | Repetition of the initial “g” and “h” sounds creates a musical rhythm and emphasizes the speaker’s vibrant connection with nature. |
| Allusion | “Adam and maiden” | This reference to Adam and Eve symbolizes innocence and paradise, presenting the farm as an Eden-like setting. |
| Anaphora | “And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns” and repeated “And” clauses | The repetition of “And” at the beginning of lines creates a cumulative effect, emphasizing the abundance of joyful memories. |
| Assonance | “Time held me green and dying” | The repetition of the “e” sound unites words, creating a soft, melancholic tone that highlights the contrast between youth and mortality. |
| Consonance | “Once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves” | The repetition of “l” sounds brings a lyrical quality to the line, enhancing the nostalgic feel of the speaker’s memories. |
| Enjambment | “And once below a time I lordly had the trees and leaves / Trail with daisies and barley” | The continuation of a sentence across lines without a pause creates a flowing rhythm, mirroring the speaker’s carefree childhood. |
| Hyperbole | “The sun grew round that very day” | The exaggeration emphasizes the speaker’s wonder and awe in childhood, making each day feel monumental. |
| Imagery | “Under the apple boughs… happy as the grass was green” | Vivid descriptions engage the senses, painting a lush picture of the rural setting and evoking the simplicity and beauty of nature. |
| Irony | “Time held me green and dying” | The irony lies in being “green” (youthful) yet also “dying,” as time grants life yet leads toward inevitable aging and mortality. |
| Juxtaposition | “Green and golden” | The placement of these colors together highlights the vibrancy of youth (green) and the richness of experience (golden), creating a layered image of childhood. |
| Metaphor | “I sang in my chains like the sea” | The chains represent time’s constraints, while the sea symbolizes vast freedom, conveying the paradox of being bound yet experiencing life fully. |
| Onomatopoeia | “Barked clear and cold” | The word “barked” mimics the sound of the foxes, adding auditory imagery that immerses the reader in the scene. |
| Paradox | “Green and dying” | The paradox juxtaposes vitality with mortality, encapsulating the transient nature of life and youth. |
| Personification | “Time let me hail and climb” | Time is given human qualities, portrayed as a lenient force that allows the speaker the freedom to enjoy youth. |
| Repetition | “Green and golden” | The repeated phrase highlights the beauty and richness of the speaker’s childhood, enhancing its significance in the poem. |
| Simile | “Sang in my chains like the sea” | This comparison likens the speaker’s life to the sea, suggesting vastness and an enduring yet bound existence. |
| Symbolism | “The apple boughs” | The apple tree branches symbolize innocence and the sweetness of childhood, with an implicit connection to the Tree of Knowledge in Eden. |
| Synecdoche | “The night above the dingle starry” | “The dingle” (a small valley) represents the broader landscape, capturing the tranquil beauty of the speaker’s surroundings. |
| Tone | Overall nostalgic and reflective | The tone is wistful and filled with longing, as the speaker looks back on a cherished, lost time with both joy and sorrow. |
| Transferred Epithet | “In the mercy of his means” | Here, “mercy” is attributed to “means” (or resources), personifying time’s generosity in allowing the speaker a carefree childhood. |
Themes: “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
- The Innocence of Childhood: Fern Hill glorifies the innocence and freedom of childhood, presenting it as a time of blissful unawareness. The speaker recalls being “young and easy under the apple boughs” and “happy as the grass was green,” reveling in the simplicity of life at the farm. Nature, symbolized by elements like “the sun” and “daisies,” reflects this purity and vitality, allowing the speaker to live without worry or constraints. The repetition of “green and golden” throughout the poem underscores the purity and richness of these early years, free from the burdens of adult understanding.
- The Passage of Time and Loss of Innocence: Time is personified throughout the poem as a powerful force, initially allowing the speaker to exist in a golden age of innocence but eventually bringing an end to it. Early in the poem, the speaker mentions that “Time let me hail and climb” and “play and be,” suggesting time’s leniency in youth. However, as the speaker ages, he realizes that time has led him inevitably toward “green and dying,” blending the vibrancy of life with the certainty of death. This shift highlights the transient nature of youth and the inevitable loss of innocence.
- Nature as a Spiritual Force: Nature is depicted in Fern Hill as almost divine, offering the speaker a connection to an idyllic, spiritual realm. The farm is described with Edenic imagery, referring to “Adam and maiden,” and the speaker experiences it as “the first, spinning place,” as though it were a newly created paradise. Nature is not just a backdrop; it is a nurturing presence, giving the speaker a sense of belonging and sanctity. The natural world becomes a sacred space where the speaker’s experiences take on a spiritual resonance, suggesting that childhood innocence brings one closer to the divine.
- Mortality and Acceptance: In the final stanza, the poem turns to the theme of mortality as the speaker reflects on his eventual awakening to the limits imposed by time. He realizes that “Time held me green and dying,” conveying the paradox of being full of life yet moving inexorably toward death. The speaker accepts this truth with a sense of resignation, “singing in [his] chains like the sea,” which suggests both the inescapability of time and the beauty of embracing life despite its transience. This acceptance of mortality reflects a mature understanding that the freedom of youth is bound by life’s impermanence, and it brings a bittersweet closure to the speaker’s reflections.
Literary Theories and “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
| Literary Theory | Explanation and Application | References from “Fern Hill” |
| Romanticism | Romanticism emphasizes a deep connection with nature, idealization of childhood, and a focus on individual emotion. Fern Hill aligns with Romantic themes, as it celebrates the purity and freedom of youth and portrays nature as a nurturing, almost spiritual presence. The poem presents the speaker’s childhood as a harmonious time when he was “honoured among wagons” and had a close bond with the farm, symbolizing a Romantic communion with nature. | “And honoured among wagons I was prince of the apple towns,” and “green and carefree… famous among the barns” express the speaker’s sense of belonging and reverence for nature. The phrase “happy as the grass was green” captures the idealized, pastoral quality typical of Romantic literature. |
| Pastoralism | Pastoralism idealizes rural life and the natural world as peaceful and innocent, contrasting with urban or “civilized” existence. In Fern Hill, Thomas paints the farm as an idyllic paradise, with descriptions that evoke the beauty and simplicity of a pastoral setting. The speaker’s reminiscences of running “heedless” through fields and sleeping under “simple stars” highlight an idealized rural life. This idealization is a common element in pastoral literature, where nature is portrayed as pure and uncorrupted. | “As I was green and carefree,” and “in the sun that is young once only” reflect the innocence and simplicity of the speaker’s youth in a pastoral setting. Nature’s beauty is exalted with phrases like “the rivers of the windfall light” and “the hay fields high as the house,” which reinforce the harmony and peace associated with pastoral life. |
| Existentialism | Existentialism examines themes of existence, freedom, and mortality, often focusing on the search for meaning within the inevitability of death. The poem grapples with existential questions, particularly in the final stanza, where the speaker realizes that he is both “green and dying,” acknowledging the duality of life and the constraints of time. Despite this, he “sings in [his] chains like the sea,” suggesting a conscious acceptance of life’s impermanence, a common theme in existential thought. | “Time held me green and dying” reflects the inevitability of aging and death, while “I sang in my chains like the sea” suggests an existential embrace of life’s constraints. The poem’s reflection on the passage of time aligns with existential themes of finding meaning and beauty in a finite life. |
Critical Questions about “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
- How does Dylan Thomas portray the passage of time in Fern Hill, and what impact does it have on the speaker’s understanding of childhood?
- Dylan Thomas personifies time as both a liberating and ultimately limiting force in Fern Hill, shaping the speaker’s memories of childhood. Initially, time allows the speaker to exist in a world of innocence and freedom, where he can “hail and climb” and play without restraint. The phrase “Time let me play and be / Golden in the mercy of his means” suggests that time is gentle, permitting the speaker to experience the world’s beauty and joy. However, by the poem’s end, time takes on a more somber tone as the speaker realizes that “Time held me green and dying.” This dual portrayal reflects the bittersweet reality of aging: while time grants the gift of childhood, it also makes such innocence temporary. The awareness of this contrast leads the speaker to recognize that his cherished youth is inextricably bound to life’s impermanence, deepening his appreciation and sense of loss.
- In what ways does Fern Hill idealize nature, and what does this reveal about the speaker’s perspective on life?
- Nature is idealized throughout Fern Hill, portrayed as a comforting, vibrant, and eternal presence that reflects the speaker’s youthful innocence and joy. The farm is described with idyllic imagery, such as “the apple boughs” and “dingle starry,” transforming it into a pastoral paradise. This setting, with its “daisies and barley” trailing “down the rivers of the windfall light,” creates an almost mythical world in which the speaker feels like royalty, “prince of the apple towns.” This glorification of nature shows the speaker’s view of life as abundant and harmonious, untouched by worldly troubles. Nature serves as a mirror for his youthful vitality, suggesting that he finds a sense of identity and spiritual fulfillment in the natural world. The farm’s Eden-like depiction highlights the speaker’s longing for this lost paradise, underscoring the depth of his connection to a simpler, purer way of life.
- What role does nostalgia play in shaping the tone of Fern Hill, and how does it affect the speaker’s view of his past?
- Nostalgia permeates Fern Hill, casting a wistful, reflective tone as the speaker looks back on his childhood with both joy and sorrow. The poem’s opening lines, “Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs,” immediately convey a sense of longing for a time when life was simpler and filled with wonder. This nostalgia colors his memories, making them appear more magical, as he recalls the “rivers of the windfall light” and days that felt “golden in the mercy of [Time’s] means.” However, nostalgia also introduces a subtle melancholy, as he realizes that these moments are irretrievable. The speaker’s tone shifts in the final stanza when he admits that “Time held me green and dying,” acknowledging the inevitable passage of time. This nostalgia for his childhood deepens the speaker’s appreciation for its fleeting beauty, while also marking the sorrow that accompanies lost innocence.
- How does the use of religious and mythological imagery enhance the themes of Fern Hill?
- Religious and mythological imagery in Fern Hill enriches its exploration of innocence, loss, and the cycle of life. The farm is described in Edenic terms, with the speaker likening his surroundings to “Adam and maiden” in “the first, spinning place.” This reference to the Garden of Eden evokes a world untouched by sin, where the speaker is free from the burdens of adult understanding. As he recalls these memories, he describes the landscape as “fields of praise,” which brings a spiritual dimension to the beauty and purity of his childhood experiences. However, this idealized world cannot last, just as Eden was lost; the speaker’s realization that he is “green and dying” echoes the fall from innocence. The religious and mythological references, therefore, underscore the poem’s themes of paradise lost, reflecting the speaker’s understanding that his blissful youth was an ephemeral, almost sacred time that could not endure.
Literary Works Similar to “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
- “Ode: Intimations of Immortality” by William Wordsworth
Like Fern Hill, this poem explores the fleeting nature of childhood innocence and the sense of loss as one grows older. - “To a Child Dancing in the Wind” by W.B. Yeats
Both poems reflect on the purity and carefree joy of youth, with an underlying awareness of the inevitability of change and loss. - “The Prelude” (selected childhood sections) by William Wordsworth
This poem, similar to Fern Hill, evokes the beauty and freedom of youth, especially in natural settings, as a golden period now past. - “The Solitary Reaper” by William Wordsworth
With its nostalgic tone, this poem, like Fern Hill, captures a fleeting, almost mystical moment tied to nature and lost in time. - “A Shropshire Lad” (selected stanzas) by A.E. Housman
This poem shares Fern Hill’s themes of nostalgia, the innocence of youth, and the eventual, bittersweet recognition of mortality.
Representative Quotations of “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
| Quotation | Context | Theoretical Perspective |
| “Now as I was young and easy under the apple boughs” | This opening line introduces the speaker’s carefree, idyllic childhood setting in nature. | Romanticism: Emphasizes the innocence and harmony with nature characteristic of Romantic ideals. |
| “The night above the dingle starry” | The phrase describes the beauty of the natural landscape, highlighting the speaker’s wonder at the world. | Pastoralism: Idealizes the rural landscape, presenting it as a peaceful, magical place. |
| “Time let me hail and climb / Golden in the heydays of his eyes” | Time is personified here, allowing the speaker to enjoy the golden days of youth. | Existentialism: Reflects the temporary freedom of youth and the gradual imposition of time’s constraints. |
| “Green and golden I was huntsman and herdsman” | The speaker recalls his roles in nature, portraying himself as part of the natural order. | Ecocriticism: Suggests a unity with nature, where the speaker’s identity is intertwined with the environment. |
| “In the sun that is young once only” | This line highlights the unique, ephemeral quality of childhood innocence. | Existentialism: Recognizes the singularity of each moment, especially the fleeting experience of youth. |
| “And nightly under the simple stars” | Describes the simplicity and purity of the rural night, reinforcing the poem’s pastoral setting. | Pastoralism: Elevates nature’s simplicity, showing its uncorrupted, almost sacred beauty. |
| “It was all shining, it was Adam and maiden” | Likens the speaker’s childhood world to Eden, a paradise of innocence. | Mythological Criticism: Uses Edenic imagery to frame childhood as a lost paradise, echoing Biblical symbolism. |
| “Time held me green and dying” | Expresses the paradox of being youthful yet subject to mortality. | Irony and Existentialism: Acknowledges the irony of life’s vitality being paired with inevitable decay. |
| “Sang in my chains like the sea” | Conveys the speaker’s acceptance of life’s constraints, finding beauty despite limitations. | Existentialism: Embraces life’s constraints and freedoms, much like existentialist ideas of accepting one’s fate. |
| “In the mercy of his means” | Reflects on the kindness of time, which permits the carefree joy of youth. | Personification and Romanticism: Time is portrayed as a benevolent force, aligning with Romantic themes of nature’s generosity. |
Suggested Readings: “Fern Hill” by Dylan Thomas
- Daiches, David, and Dylan Thomas. “The Poetry of Dylan Thomas.” The English Journal, vol. 43, no. 7, 1954, pp. 349–56. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/809301. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
- Daiches, David. “The Poetry of Dylan Thomas.” College English, vol. 16, no. 1, 1954, pp. 1–8. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/371613. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
- CREWE, J. V. “DYLAN THOMAS.” Theoria: A Journal of Social and Political Theory, no. 40, 1973, pp. 69–71. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/41801898. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
- Jenkins, Jack L. “How Green Is ‘Fern Hill’?” The English Journal, vol. 55, no. 9, 1966, pp. 1180–82. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/812309. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
- Craik, Roger. “Green and Dying in Chains: Dylan Thomas’s ‘Fern Hill’ and Kenneth Grahame’s The Golden Age.” Twentieth Century Literature, vol. 44, no. 3, 1998, pp. 362–76. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/441815. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.
- Davidow, Mary C. “Journey from Apple Orchard to Swallow Thronged Loft: ‘Fern Hill.'” The English Journal, vol. 58, no. 1, 1969, pp. 78–81. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/812353. Accessed 2 Nov. 2024.