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Feb 8, 2024 · This poem from the wonderful nature poet Edward Thomas (1878-1917) begins by describing a forest at night, above whose trees the stars shine like ‘seeds of light’. 9. Joseph Campbell, ‘ Darkness ’.
- Summary of The Dark Forest
- Themes in The Dark Forest
- Structure and Form
- Literary Devices
- Analysis of The Dark Forest
- Similar Poems
Through the image of the forest, and all that which resides within and around it, Thomas depicts the gulf that separates the living from the dead. One group, the living, picks marguerite flowers in the light/day while the others pick purple foxglove in the deep, darkness of the forest.The separation of life and death is also seen through the pinpoi...
The themes at play in ‘The Dark Forest’ are life, death, light, and darkness. Thomas was interested, a time of great upheaval in his world and around the world, in depicting how separate the living are from the dead. But, also the ways that life in the dark forest mirrors life in the light. He emphasizes the “multitudes” on both sides and their ina...
‘The Dark Forest’ by Edward Thomas is a three-stanza poem that is separated into sets of four lines, known as quatrains. These quatrains follow a simple rhyme scheme of ABAB CDCD EFEF. The meteris also quite regular, although the stresses change locations. The even-numbered lines are visually and metrically longer than the odd-numbered lines. The f...
Thomas makes use of several literary devices in ‘The Dark Forest’. These include but are not limited to examples of enjambment, similes, alliteration, and imagery. The latter is one of the most important poetic devices used in ‘The Dark Forest’. Without it, Thomas would not have been able to craft the clear and haunting lines that he did. One of th...
Stanza One
In the first stanza of ‘The Dark Forest,’ the poet begins by restating the title. His speaker uses slightly confusing syntaxto say “Dark is the forest”. He adds that it is also “deep”. Already, the poet’s images are at the forefront of the poem. It is quite easy to imagine every element of this poem as the come together, one line at a time. He adds to his already vibrant depiction in the next line. The stars, the speaker says, are like “seeds of light” in the sky. This is a great example of a...
Stanza Two
It is in the next lines of ‘The Dark Forest,’ that it becomes clear that the forest is a metaphorfor death. Its darkness is impenetrable, as death is, and the “mighty multitudes ride” about it but can’t see inside the woods. It is likely that Thomas was thinking about, as he often did, the First World War while writing. Although it is not mentioned clearly, the “mighty multitudes” is perhaps a reference to the enormous toll the war took on the populations of countries around the world. He goe...
Stanza Three
The third stanza of ‘The Dark Forest,’brings back some of the more traditional nature imagery. Outside the forest, there are “gold and white” marguerite flowers while inside there is purple foxglove. The two worlds exist next to one another, with reflective similarities, but they are unable to cross over. Just as one flower can’t grow on the side it doesn’t belong to, people can’t greet “The others, day or night”. The living and the dead remain separate.
Readers who enjoyed ‘The Dark Forest’ should also consider reading the poems on our list of 10 of the Best Poems About Darkness. These ten poems, of which ‘The Dark Forest’ is one, are all beautifully composed. Additionally, Thomas’ other poems might be of interest. For example, ‘The Chalk Pit,’ which is quite similar to ‘The Dark Forest,’ as well ...
- Female
- October 9, 1995
- Poetry Analyst And Editor
Midway upon the journey of our life I found myself within a forest dark, For the straightforward pathway had been lost. Ah me! how hard a thing it is to say What was this forest savage, rough, and stern, Which in the very thought renews the fear.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep. Robert Frost, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening” from The Poetry of Robert Frost, edited by Edward Connery Lathem.
By John Keats. My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains. My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains. One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk: 'Tis not through envy of thy happy lot, But being too happy in thine happiness,— That thou, light-winged Dryad of the trees. In some melodious plot.
By Robert Frost. I wonder about the trees. Why do we wish to bear. Forever the noise of these. More than another noise. So close to our dwelling place? We suffer them by the day. Till we lose all measure of pace, And fixity in our joys, And acquire a listening air. They are that that talks of going. But never gets away;
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Analysis (ai): This poem is a meditation on isolation and otherness. It uses imagery of a dark and mysterious forest to create a sense of alienation and impenetrability. The speaker observes the forest from afar, but is unable to enter or communicate with its inhabitants.
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