Author: Unknown
Genre: Poetry
Form: Free verse
Mood: Contemplative, serene
Themes: Nature, beauty, life and death
Images:
- Kangaroos grazing near a hayfield
- A solitary wedge-tailed eagle
- A cloudless sky
- Golden grassland
- A red sunset
- A full moon
Symbols:
- Kangaroos: Fertility, abundance, resilience, movement, community, the joy of a free spirit
- Wedge-tailed eagle: Power, strength, vision, courage, independence
- Cloudless sky: Peace, serenity, clarity
- Golden grassland: Prosperity, warmth, abundance
- Red sunset: Passion, energy, change, transformation
- Full moon: Feminine power, intuition, wisdom, balance
Figurative Language:
- Personification: The wind "whispers" and "sings," the kangaroos "dance," the moon "smiles," and the sunset "glows."
- Simile: The eagle is compared to a "dark shadow" and the moon to a "silver disk."
- Metaphor: The clouds are described as "cotton candy" and the grassland as a "sea of gold."
- Alliteration: "whispers and sings," "dance and graze"
Sound:
The poem is written in free verse, with no formal rhyme scheme or meter. However, there is a musical quality to the language, created by the repetition of certain sounds and the use of alliteration and assonance. For example, the "s" sound is repeated in the words "whispers," "sings," and "sea," while the "l" sound is repeated in the words "laugh," "lazy," and "long."
Structure:
The poem is divided into four stanzas, each of which focuses on a different aspect of the scene. The first stanza introduces the setting and the kangaroos, the second stanza focuses on the eagle, the third stanza describes the sunset, and the fourth stanza concludes with the moon rising over the grassland.
Interpretation:
The poem "Kangaroos Near Hay" is a celebration of the beauty and serenity of the Australian bush. The kangaroos, the wedge-tailed eagle, the cloudless sky, the golden grassland, the red sunset, and the full moon all come together to create a picture of perfect harmony and peace. The poem also suggests the cyclical nature of life and death, with the eagle representing strength, power and courage in this world, and the full moon representing the wisdom, balance and intuition of the next.
Personal Response:
I find the poem "Kangaroos Near Hay" to be a very calming and peaceful piece of writing. The images of the kangaroos grazing in the hayfield, the wedge-tailed eagle soaring through the air, and the red sunset over the golden grassland are all very beautiful. The poem also has a sense of mystery about it, which I find intriguing. I am not sure what the poet is trying to say with the poem, but I can feel that he or she is trying to convey something important. I would love to read more poems by this poet.