Poems in Conversation

Paper Summary:

The two poems "The Song of the Cuckoo" and "I Sing of a Maiden" are related by more than just by the facts that they were both written in Middle English by anonymous authors, albeit an estimated 200 years apart. They both celebrate a rebirth, and with a little insight into nature and a little imagination, they can be seen as intertwined. Although the former is more secular than the latter, they are aligned in a central theme.

From the Paper:

"Upon first reading the Middle English poems "The Cuckoo Bird" and "I Sing Of A Maiden" one might find only a tacit relationship between the two. After all, the former appears to be a mere celebration of a change of seasons and nature's reaction to it. And it appears to be a lighthearted celebration at that. While on the other hand, the latter poem's serious religious overtones are apparent immediately. However, a deeper reading reveals relationships between the two, and further imagination and wondering can lead the reader to an intertwinement of the two poems. At best guess, these two poems - both by anonymous authors - were written roughly two hundred years apart. Yet, the cuckoo's song could very well be seen as that of the maiden."

More papers on Poems in Conversation:

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• Analytical Essay # 102651 : "Coleridge's Conversation Poems"

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