On Stinsford Hill at Midnight by Thomas Hardy
The poem presents a speaker who encounters a mysterious woman on a hill at midnight. The woman, dressed in a flowing garment, sings joyfully while playing a timbrel, seemingly oblivious to the speaker's presence. The speaker is captivated by her ethereal beauty and the enchanting quality of her song, which contrasts sharply with the darkness of the surrounding world. As the speaker attempts to engage her, he questions her happiness and the nature of her existence. Despite his calls, she remains detached, continuing her song without acknowledging him. This interaction highlights the speaker's feelings of isolation and longing, as he grapples with the disparity between his somber reality and her apparent bliss. The poem explores themes of unreciprocated connection, the elusiveness of happiness, and the tension between the individual and the collective experience of existence. The woman's indifference serves as a poignant reminder of the often-unreachable nature of joy and the complexities of human emotion. The speaker's yearning for understanding and companionship is met with silence, emphasizing the loneliness that can accompany the search for meaning in a seemingly indifferent world.
By Thomas Hardy · First published 1917 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Symbolism · 279 words
First lines
I GLIMPSED a woman's muslined form / Sing-songing airily / Against the moon; and still she sang, / And took no heed of me.
Another trice, and I beheld / What first I had not scanned, / That now and then she tapped and shook / A timbrel in her hand.
So late the hour, so white her drape, / So strange the look it lent / To that blank hill, I could not guess / What phantastry it meant.
Then burst I forth: "Why such from you? / Are you so happy now? " / Her voice swam on; nor did she show / Thought of me anyhow.
What this Textopian page supports
On Stinsford Hill at Midnight is listed on Textopian as a poem by Thomas Hardy, dated 1917 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Thomas Hardy
- Date: 1917 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Romanticism, Symbolism, Nature Poetry, Victorian Poetry
- Length: 279 words
- Structure: 1 section, 7 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Very Easy (5th Grade or below)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for On Stinsford Hill at Midnight by Thomas Hardy
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Similar titles
- The Moon Looks In by Thomas Hardy
- When I Set Out For Lyonnesse by Thomas Hardy
- Triolets by Sara Teasdale
- Outside The Casement by Thomas Hardy
- Night In The Old Home by Thomas Hardy
- At Day Close In November by Thomas Hardy
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work features a personal expression of emotions and thoughts, characteristic of lyric poetry.
- Romanticism — The themes of nature, emotion, and individual experience align with Romantic ideals.
- Symbolism — The imagery and metaphors suggest deeper meanings and emotional states, typical of Symbolist poetry.
- Nature Poetry — The setting and descriptions of the natural environment play a significant role in the poem.
Tags
poetry · nature · romance · melancholy · landscape · night · reflection · solitude · emotion · memory · past · longing