Works of Thomas Hardy discussion

The Caged Goldfinch

Within a churchyard, on a recent grave,
I saw a little cage
That jailed a goldfinch. All was silence save
Its hops from stage to stage.

There was inquiry in its wistful eye,
And once it tried to sing;
Of him or her who placed it there, and why,
No one knew anything.

Published in "Moments of Vision" in 1917.

Related Quote From "The Mayor of Casterbridge" Chapter 45

Henchard bought a goldfinch in a cage as a wedding present for Elizabeth-Jane. He went to her house and temporarily deposited the cage covered with newspaper under a bush while he entered the kitchen. The overlooked bird and its cage was found a week later.

“Nobody could tell her how the bird and cage had come there; though that the poor little songster had been starved to death was evident . . .
This was enough to set Elizabeth thinking, and in thinking she seized hold of the idea, at one feminine bound, that the caged bird had been brought by Henchard for her as a wedding gift and token of repentance. He had not expressed to her any regrets or excuses for what he had done in the past; but it was a part of his nature to extenuate nothing, and live on as one of his own worst accusers. She went out, looked at the cage, buried the starved little singer, and from that hour her heart softened towards the self-alienated man.”

The cage is an allegory for Henchard's own self-imprisonment due to his destructive, impulsive actions and volatile character. Henchard is lonely, isolated, and forgotten like the goldfinch.

He becomes sick and is unable to eat later in the chapter, so he has no nourishment like the goldfinch. He also feels emotionally starved because he wants the love of his step-daughter, Elizabeth-Jane.

Literary critics have suggested that the newspaper wrapping the cage may represent public opinion.

Thoughts About The Poem

The goldfinch is known for its beauty and exceptional singing. The narrator in the poem sees a cage which imprisons a goldfinch on a recent grave. The poem has an ambiguous ending with the line, "No one knew anything."

The poem is not giving us much information about the bird so the reader will ask themselves questions about the vulnerable goldfinch. Who brought the caged bird to the grave? Does the bird belong to the deceased or someone else? Will the bird be fed or will it starve? I'm sure you can think of many more questions that the poem raises.

Wild European Goldfinch at the Parc Jura vaudois, a nature park in Switzerland
Photo by Giles Laurent at Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Europea...

Three-stanza Poem Originally

The poem was first published as a poem with three stanzas without such an ambiguous ending. The two-stanza version was considered to be the better poem, and that's what you will usually encounter. This is Hardy's first published version:

The Caged Goldfinch

Within a churchyard, on a recent grave,
I saw a little cage
That jailed a goldfinch. All was silence save
Its hops from stage to stage.

There was inquiry in its wistful eye,
And once it tried to sing;
Of him or her who placed it there, and why,
No one knew anything.

True, a woman was found drowned the day ensuing,
And some at times averred
The grave to be her false one's, who when wooing
Gave her the bird.

Do you prefer the more ambiguous ending or the longer poem?

Over to you.

Connie Here is one vote for the two stanza poem. I like poems that offer the reader a sense of ambiguity.

Yes. The fate of the goldfinch certainly parallels the death of Henchard. I never considered what the association of the newspaper meant so thank you for pointing out a logical possibility. Presenting the poems that are linked to our study of TMOC has been very insightful and rewarding for me. Thank you.

While no doubt Hardy was referring to the European Goldfinch I thought our European readers might like a look at an American Goldfinch. Both are beautiful birds.

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/A...

Peter, thanks for the photos of the American Goldfinch. On the Wikipedia site, under the photo of the European Goldfinch, you can click to hear the song of the goldfinch. I can see why the songsters were so prized for their beauty and their songs.

Connie wrote: "Literary critics have suggested that the newspaper wrapping the cage may represent public opinion..."

I knew the poem, but had never thought of this aspect. Thanks for relating it to The Mayor of Casterbridge Connie; it fits very aptly.

Thanks also for the photo of an English goldfinch, which is the one Thomas Hardy had in mind. "Carduelis carduelis" is found in Britain and Ireland. Some apparently migrate to warmer climates in winter, but many stay in the UK and can be seen in large flocks, forming a "charm". It can also be called a European goldfinch to differentiate it from others.

(This poem thread is now linked to our list)

I also prefer the two-stanza version, and the way it leaves more to the imagination of the reader to fill in.

That said, the story of a drowned woman who placed the caged bird on her lover's grave is a good one. I wish he had written a short story about these people. I would have liked to read that.

I didn't know there was a difference between the European and American Goldfinches. Being a North American, I pictured the yellow bird Peter shared. I'm so happy to now know about the European Goldfinch, which is so beautiful with its many colors. As is its song, thank you Connie for drawing my attention to that.

How sad that the bird in the poem has lost the ability to sing.

Bionic Jean wrote: "Connie wrote: "Literary critics have suggested that the newspaper wrapping the cage may represent public opinion..."

I knew the poem, but had never thought of this aspect. Thanks for relating it t..."

Jean, I did not know that a flock of goldfinches was called a "charm," but it seems very appropriate since they are so colorful and have such a happy song. I've heard that a group of parrots is called a "pandemonium," which also seems like a perfect descriptive term!

Bridget wrote: "I also prefer the two-stanza version, and the way it leaves more to the imagination of the reader to fill in.

That said, the story of a drowned woman who placed the caged bird on her lover's grav..."

Bridget, I like the two-stanza version too, probably since it focuses on the cruelty to the goldfinch instead of the wronged lover.

It's also ironic that the bird has been left in a churchyard, and you would think that people would have heard some messages of compassion in the sermons.

What a pretty goldfinch and touching poem. Thank you for sharing both versions, Connie. I also preferred the ambiguity of the two-stanza one, but didn't like the abrupt feel of it.

Maybe he should have settled on something between the two, like a third stanza that included "a woman was found drowned the day ensuing," and more about the bird, with no explanation. :-)

I'm glad he wrote poetry AND novels!

Kathleen wrote: "What a pretty goldfinch and touching poem. Thank you for sharing both versions, Connie. I also preferred the ambiguity of the two-stanza one, but didn't like the abrupt feel of it.

Maybe he shoul..."

Kathleen, I'm glad he wrote both poetry and novels too. I was thinking about the overlap between the two forms of writing. Some of his poems, such as the ballads, tell a story. The writing in his novels can be very poetic. I think we have the best of both worlds in this group since Jean and Bridget give us opportunities to read both forms of writing together.