Solitude
Lampman, Archibald (1861-1899)

How still it is here in the woods. The trees
Stand motionless, as if they did not dare
To stir, lest it should break the spell. The air
Hangs quiet as spaces in a marble frieze.
Even this little brook, that runs at ease,
Whispering and gurgling in its knotted bed,
Seems but to deepen, with its curling thread
Of sound, the shadowy sun-pierced silences.
Sometimes a hawk screams or a woodpecker
Startles the stillness from its fixèd mood
With his loud careless tap. Sometimes I hear
The dreamy white-throat from some far off tree
Pipe slowly on the listening solitude,
His five pure notes succeeding pensively.


Response to Solitude:
Archibald Lampman’s poem Solitude is a sensory exploration of a natural environment. Personally, I relate his visual connotations to a poem about the Canadian outdoors due to the inclusion of natural certain elements including woodpeckers and white-throats. Lampman uses a plethora of poetic devices in order to enhance the reader’s experience. For example, personification can be observed in the phrase “The trees…did not dare to stir”. As Lampman applies human actions to nonhuman elements of his natural depictions, the poem becomes more relatable and interpretable to readers. Throughout the beginning and middle of the poem, Lampman describes the stillness, serenity and beauty of a forest scene. Towards the end, however, he introduces the personal pronoun “I”, creating an effect in which the reader is placed directly into the environment. Furthemore, the introduction of a person into the poem further emphasizes the separation between humanity and nature, re-affirming the appropriateness of “Solitude” as the title. Although the poem is based on visionary elements, Lampman includes several auditory elements as he describes the screams of hawks, tapping of woodpeckers, and gurgling of the stream., I enjoy Lampan’s descriptive prose as it transition the reader into the peace and tranquility offered by the picturesque cove explored in Solitude.