19 pages 38 minutes read

Evening Hawk

Fiction | Poem | Adult | Published in 1985

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Summary and Study Guide

Overview

“Evening Hawk” is one of American poet and novelist Robert Penn Warren’s most famous poems. This lyric poem was first published in The Atlantic in 1975, then later collected that same year into Warren’s collection Can I See Arcturus From Where I Stand? It also appeared in Selected Poems (1976) and New and Selected Poems (1985).

The poem centers on the speaker’s observation of the flight of a hawk at sunset. As is typical in Warren’s poetry, the hawk serves as a metaphor to broach metaphysical topics, including life’s purpose. Throughout his long career, which began in 1921 and lasted until his death, Warren commonly used nature imagery to discuss more philosophical concerns.

Considered one of the preeminent writers of the United States, Warren’s work was much lauded both during his lifetime and since. He earned the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry twice (in 1958 and 1979) as well as for Fiction for his novel All the King’s Men (1947). He is the only writer to have one in both categories. “Evening Hawk” is one of the poet’s later poems and is widely anthologized as one of the best in his career.

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