The Last Word of a Blue Bird - A poem by Robert Frost

Robert Frost - The Last Word of a Blue Bird

          As told to a child


As I went out a Crow
In a low voice said, "Oh,
I was looking for you.
How do you do?
I just came to tell you
To tell Lesley (will you?)
That her little Bluebird
Wanted me to bring word
That the north wind last night
That made the stars bright
And made ice on the trough
Almost made him cough
His tail feathers off.
He just had to fly!
But he sent her Good-by,
And said to be good,
And wear her red hood,
And look for the skunk tracks
In the snow with an ax-
And do everything!
And perhaps in the spring
He would come back and sing."

Added: on February 9th, 2008 at 6:10 PM | Viewed: 10760 times | Comments and analysis of The Last Word of a Blue Bird by Robert Frost Comments (10)

The Last Word of a Blue Bird - Comments and Information
Poet: Robert Frost Poem: 23. The Last Word of a Blue Bird Volume: Mountain Interval Year: Published/Written in 1916 Comment 10 of 10, added on February 19th, 2008 at 9:57 PM. this is such a jolly and silly poem and i think that many people should read it. At the same time there can be a deep side but you really have to read it carefully and have a different mindset in order to really see it. :) by the way my class is doing an analysis on this poem and im loving it!!! Anonimus from United States Comment 9 of 10, added on February 9th, 2008 at 7:16 PM. Oh, after all this, I just realized there's an entire level that I forgot to mention! The fact that it is the crow who gives the message, rather than the bluebird, makes the whole thing even more chilling. Crows are a symbol of death, and part of the reason for that is that they eat carrion, like vultures and jackals. Their harsh cries can mark them as the messengers of death itself. And in this instance, it is the crow who ultimately decides what the bluebird's message shall be, and the veiled references to violence may be entirely his testimony. He may have seen the skunk's murderous action and then seized his own opportunity. Therefore, in his message, he takes care to focus the blame on the skunk, omitting his part entirely. But the obvious question is, "wouldn't the bluebird have sent the message himself if he could? Why give it to the crow unless he had no other choice? This, more than anything else, seems to signify that the bluebird will never return -- he is not just ill, but dead. Gillian from United States Comment 8 of 10, added on February 9th, 2008 at 6:10 PM. I agree with the last commenter -- the poem is very dark, actually. We read this in Junior Great Books when I was a child, and found that what sounded very sweet on first reading turned out to be very ominous and sad upon discussion. "Lesley" in the poem is Frost's daughter, who has seen something upsetting -- feathers? blood? -- and she tells her father that the bluebird is missing, so her father gives her a message from the bird to make her feel better, but he also gives all the evidence of the truth, which she may or may not work out for herself, depending on which part of his words she wants to focus on. The most obvious detail tells her/us that the skunk has apparently done harm to the bluebird -- she is to look out for him with an axe, no less! The following "And do everything!" may be a frightening reference to what must be done with the axe -- to make sure the job is done -- or it may be his parting comment that she should live a full life without her friend the bluebird. Either way, it's not a positive admonition, but sad at the least and terrifying at most. The hood she is to wear can be taken as an executioner's hood with the "red" signifying blood, so that this is the role she will play when she seeks the murdering skunk to exact retribution. (Interestingly, the skunk was a fox in an earlier version of the poem, which sounds like a more traditional villain.) The last two hopeful lines tell her that he may return in spring, but this may be metaphorical, or a reference to other bluebirds who will return to comfort her. It is not likely to be the same bird because the second stanza is meant to temper the hope: the bluebird's words -- his "last" word, according to the title! -- tell her that the cold "almost made him "cough his tail feathers off". He did not fly south while it was still warm, and now the north wind has come. The cough is a euphemism for the death rattle. Significantly, the ice on the trough means that he cannot drink the water, which may be his last sustenance. He is weak, and therefore easy prey. He gives her a traditional farewell -- "be good!" --and he wants to leave her some comfort so that she will not grieve, but he --and Lesley's father-- know that these haunting words are to be his last. Gillian from United States More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, The Last Word of a Blue Bird, has received 10 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by Robert Frost with others on the American Poems poetry forum!

Poem Info
Poet: Robert Frost Poem: 23. The Last Word of a Blue Bird Volume: Mountain Interval Year: Published/Written in 1916 Last read: Jul 19 2008, 8:00AM Viewed 10760 times. Added on February 9th, 2008 at 6:10 PM.

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