**The+Owl**

 =The Owl =

Downhill I came, hungry, and yet not starved; Cold, yet had heat within me that was proof Against the North wind; tired, yet so that rest Had seemed the sweetest thing under a roof.

Then at the inn I had food, fire, and rest,  Knowing how hungry, cold, and tired was I.  All of the night was quite barred out except  An owl's cry, a most melancholy cry

Shaken out long and clear upon the hill, No merry note, nor cause of merriment, But one telling me plain what I escaped And others could not, that night, as in I went.

 And salted was my food, and my repose, Salted and sobered, too, by the bird's voice <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Speaking for all who lay under the stars, <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;"> Soldiers and poor, unable to rejoice.


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">Explication **

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">"The Owl" is a poem about the pain of a soldier, who has no one to 'rejoice' with after escaping the night, the cold. While the narrator seems to find the comfort of indoors, he still cannot escape reality. Other soldiers do not have the luxury of the warmth, they could not get away. At first, the narrator is grateful for finding the inn, but because of the owl's cry, he is reminded of true nature, of war. There is little reason to be happy unless you choose to ignore reality and not be 'sober'.

<span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Back to Edward Thomas


 * <span style="font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif;">References **


 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Akimoto, Kazuya. __Black Owl__. 2007. __Kazuya Akimoto Art Museum__. 3 Dec. 2007 <[|http://kazuya-akimoto.com/2007/2007images/IMG_6168_black_owl.jpg>.]
 * <span style="font-family: Georgia,serif;">Thomas, Edward. "Edward Thomas." __The Norton Anthology of English Literature Eighth Edition__. Ed. Greenblatt Stephen and M.h. Abrams. New York: W&W Norton & Company, 2006. 1956-1959.