A Hunting-Song by Edith Wharton
The poem explores the elusive nature of Hope, suggesting it cannot be found in youthful or beautiful things. Instead, it may be discovered in desolate and sorrowful places, such as a storm-stricken tree or a barren coastline where the sea meets the land. If captured, Hope will sing to you until death, then abandon you to build a new life with your child elsewhere.
By Edith Wharton · First published 1893 · Genre: Poetry, Romanticism, Symbolism · 247 words
First lines
_HUNTERS, where does Hope nest? _ / Not in the half-oped breast, / Nor the young rose, / Nor April sunrise -- those / With a quick wing she brushes, / The wide world through, / Greets with the throat of thrushes, / Fades from as fast as dew.
But, would you spy her sleeping, / Cradled warm, / Look in the breast of weeping, / The tree stript by storm; / But, would you bind her fast, / Yours at last, / Bed-mate and lover, / Gain the last headland bare / That the cold tides cover, / There may you capture her, there, / Where the sea gives to the ground / Only the drift of the drowned.
Yet, if she slips you, once found, / Push to her uttermost lair / In the low house of despair.
What this Textopian page supports
A Hunting-Song is listed on Textopian as a poem by Edith Wharton, dated 1893 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Edith Wharton
- Date: 1893 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Poetry, Romanticism, Symbolism
- Length: 247 words
- Structure: 1 section, 4 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
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- Work identity for A Hunting-Song by Edith Wharton
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Similar titles
- An Autumn Sunset by Edith Wharton
- A Meeting by Edith Wharton
- The Long Run by Edith Wharton
- Souls Belated by Edith Wharton
- Moonrise Over Tyringham by Edith Wharton
- The Hunter by Ellen Glasgow
Genres
- Poetry — The work is structured in verse form, with rhythmic and rhyming patterns, typical of poetry.
- Romanticism — The work explores themes of emotion, nature, and individualism, common in Romantic literature.
- Symbolism — The work uses symbolic language and imagery to convey deeper meanings, characteristic of Symbolist literature.
Tags
Romance · Short Story · American Literature · Early 20th Century · Social Class · Wealth · Marriage · Love Triangle · Infidelity · Deception · Society Life · Upper Class