The Peace of Wild Things
Wendell Berry
• When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.
The Heron
The wood drake
Paraphrase
• Lines 1-3:
• The poet wakes in the night at the smallest
sound. He is fearful for his future & for the
future of his children. His mood is one of
despair. He is agitated (disturbed) &
depressed because of present & possible
future problems in daily life that affect his
family.
• Lines 4-5
• That is why he goes to lie down outdoors in a
wild place, near still water “where the wood
drake/rests” & “the great heron feeds.”
• Lines 6-8
• The wild things have a peace that comes from
not burdening themselves with thoughts of
the future because they live only in the
moment (present).
• Lines 8-10
• The still water is calming & the stars are
waiting to provide their light. They are “dayblind” & don’t concern themselves with what
the next day will bring.
•
• Lines 10-11
• When the speaker rests in these natural
surroundings, he feels free from worry about
the future & forgets his concerns & sadness.
The Grace of the world:
• The speaker experiences a natural world
that is blessed with calmness & peace.
The animals, stars, & water receive this
peace as a gift from nature; they do
nothing to earn it. They expect to be
taken care of & are free from worry.
•
Theme
• Often an insight about life or human nature, theme is
the main idea or message of a work of literature. A
poem may have a stated theme , which is expressed
directly and explicitly, or an implied theme, which is
not stated directly but is revealed through imagery
and figures of speech. Readers may uncover one or
more themes in any literary work, depending on their
interpretations of it.
• In "The Peace of Wild Things" the idea is implied by
the actions of the speaker and the results of those
actions.
• The theme might be:
1. Closeness to nature has a calming effect.
Nature provides comfort & relief in its peace &
its reminder to live in the present.
2. Freedom from worries and fears is
temporary but welcome.