I dreaded that first Robin, so

I dreaded that first Robin, so,
But He is mastered, now,
I'm some accustomed to Him grown,
He hurts a little, though-

I thought if I could only live
Till that first Shout got by-
Not all Pianos in the Woods
Had power to mangle me-

I dared not meet the daffodils-
For fear their Yellow Gown
Would pierce me with a fashion
So foreign to my own-

I wished the Grass would hurry-
So-when 'twas time to see-
He'd be too tall, the tallest one
Could stretch-to look at me-

I could not bear the Bees should come,
I wished they'd stay away
In those dim countries where they go,
What word had they, for me?

They're here, though: not a creature failed-
No Blossom stayed away
In gentle deference to me-
The Queen of Calvary-

Each one salutes me, as he goes,
And I, my childish Plumes,
Lift, in bereaved acknowledgment
Of their unthinking Drums-

The central purpose is nature. The robin is a symbol of a boy growing up and setting free from his childhood.

The speaker is a mother raising her son and is having a hard time letting him go. She does not want him to grow up, as any mother wouldn't. The poem states "I'm some accustomed to him grown" which proves her feelings. She compares her son to grass and how quickly it grows. "He'd be too tall, the tallest one" and she "could not bear the bees should come" are signs of the boy maturing.

I can relate to the boy because I will soon be leaving home and my mother is having a difficult time letting me go.

Water, is taught by thirst

Water, is taught by thirst.
Land-by the Oceans passed.
Transport-by throe-
Peace-by its battles told-
Love by Memorial Mold-
Birds by the snow.


Nature is the central purpose. Dickinson shows the things we need most in life and what they are based off of. Nature depicts the important things in life such as water, land, transportation, peace, and love.

I believe all aspects of life are formed and based off of something else. In other words, everything supports everything else. The poem states, "peace-by its battles told" which means you do not solve any problems without fighting it out. Dickinson refers to birds because they are a symbol of nature.

There are no literary devices.

Connecting the poems

"A Bird came down the Walk," "Water, is taught by thirst" and "I dreaded that first Robin, so" all refer to birds and have a central purpose revolving around nature. In each poem, Dickinson capitalizes important words in the middle of lines. Those words make emphasis on main points throughtout the poems.

A Bird came down the Walk

A Bird came down the Walk-
He did not know I saw-
He bit an Anglework in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,

And then he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass-
And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let a Beetle pass-

He glanced with rapid eyes
That hurried all around-
They looked like frightened Beads, I thought-
He stirred his Velvet Head

Like one in danger, Cautious,
I offered him a Crumb
And he rolled his feathers
And rowed him softer home-

Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam-
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon
Leap, plashless as they swim.

Nature is the central purpose. Dickinson uses a bird to describe nature. Birds can be similar to humans in the actions that they perform. Also, the bird shows how pleasant nature and can and the true beauty of it.

What I got out of this poem was that at the beginning the bird was carrying on normal actions and did not know the speaker was watching it because it states "He did not know I saw." The bird eats a worm and drinks the dew from the grass meaning that it was probably morningtime. The bird finally notices the speaker and was frightened. The speaker "offered him a crumb" and the bird quickly flew away. "Oars divide the ocean" hint that the bird's wings were moving as if paddling or swimming.

Dickinson used similes and personification to compare the bird to humans and show how it went along with nature. The similes are "They looked like frightened beads" and "like one in danger." Some examples of personification are "oars divide the ocean" and "he unrolled his feathers."