To the Skylark

The speaker opens the poem by directly addressing the skylark of the poem’s title, hailing it as an “Ethereal minstrel” and “pilgrim of the sky!” (Line 1). In calling the skylark both a minstrel and a pilgrim, the speaker introduces two traits they will associate with the bird throughout the poem: the bird as a beautiful singer (minstrel) and as a creature that can travel about with ease (pilgrim).

The speaker juxtaposes the freedom of flying in the sky with the security and comforts of the nest. They wonder if the bird prefers the freedom of flying through the skies to being upon the earth, especially since the earth is the site of so many “cares” (Line 2), or problems and duties. They ask if the bird’s “heart and eye” (Line 3) are actually “Both with thy nest upon the dewy ground” (Line 4) while it is in flight—that it is to say, if the bird prefers the comforts of its dwelling (the nest) and close proximity to its chicks instead of the freedom of flying alone. The speaker mentions how the skylark can drop into its nest “at will” (Line 5), and find peace and rest there. While in the nest, the bird can relax its wings—“Those quivering wings composed—” (Line 6), and cease singing for a while. Here, the speaker establishes a thematic contrast between the act of wandering and being solitary, and the appeal of being more grounded in a particular, familiar place.

The speaker sets up a contradiction: the skylark transcends the earth while still being anchored to it. In the second stanza, the speaker describes how impressively high the skylark can soar, remarking that while in flight it can reach “the last point of vision, and beyond” (Line 7). Yet the speaker also notes that the skylark’s song is a “love-prompted strain” (Line 8) that serves as a “never-failing bond” (Line 9) between the skylark and its loved ones on the ground, and which helps the skylark remain linked to the earth even when it is soaring high above it. This connection between the skylark and the earth remains even though the skylark might “seem to sing / All independent of the leafy Spring” (Lines 11-12). In other words, even while appearing to be at its freest and most independent, the skylark’s bond with the earth remains unbroken.

The speaker’s mention of the “harmony” (Line 16) that the skylark’s music gives the world is suggestive of peace and cohesion: “It pour[s] upon the world” (Line 15). Reference to its “divine” (Line 16) instinct grants the skylark and its music an apparent association not just with the skies, but with something heavenly as well.

The speaker concludes by praising the skylark for being “Type of the wise who soar, but never roam / True to the kindred points of Heaven and Home!” (Lines 17-18). This final couplet neatly encapsulates and reconciles the poem’s main thematic concern, raised in the first stanza: The speaker is eager to praise the skylark not just for its pleasing music. The skylark’s ability to navigate both sky and earth with ease allows it to blend freedom and domesticity. The skylark enjoys both liberty and the stability of bonds with others instead of choosing one over the other.