The Flock

‘The Flock’ by Derek Walcott is a stunningly written poem that employs vivid sensory imagery and metaphorical language to delve into themes of change, migration, and time’s passage. The poem offers a captivating journey through the natural world, evoking a sense of movement and motion. Through reflections on human desires and the enduring qualities of life, the poem offers a profound meditation on the complexities of human experience.

Summary

‘The Flock’ by Derek Walcott is a poem that uses the imagery of migrating birds to explore themes of change, survival, and the cyclical nature of life.

‘The Flock’ begins with the grip of winter tightening and the birds flying toward the tropical light in search of a different sky. The birds’ migration symbolizes change as they adapt to the seasons and environment to ensure their survival. The poet uses this imagery to reflect on the human experience of change and adaptation to the world’s ever-changing nature.

The poem also explores the cyclical nature of life, with the birds’ migration occurring every year as a part of the natural cycle of life. The poet reflects on the inflexible direction of the world, with changes in language, climate, customs, and light occurring year after year, surviving our condemnation and the sun’s exultant larks.

The poet also reflects on the equinox and the clear eye that greets the black wings that cross it like a blessing, connecting the birds’ needs with his sense of the season. The cyclical nature of life is a central theme of the poem, with the birds’ migration representing the continuity of life and the nature of change.

Themes

One of the themes explored in ‘The Flock’ by Derek Walcott is the cyclical nature of life and seasons. This theme is evident throughout the poem as the speaker observes the annual migration of birds from the north to the south in search of warmer climates. Walcott uses imagery to depict the birds flying “by instinct to their secret places” and honing their sense to target the tropic light, indicating that their migration is a natural and necessary part of the cyclical pattern of seasons.

Another theme that the poet explores in the poem is the idea of the power of the natural world and its ability to shape and influence human emotions and thoughts.

The speaker describes the ‘skeletal forest’ and “sepulchral knight riding in silence” as well as the “hooves cannonading snow” as the winter season takes hold, emphasizing the overwhelming presence and impact of the natural world.

Walcott also explores the theme of the passage of time and the inevitability of change through the imagery of the ‘iron contradiction’ of the alp and the “impartial Arctic” that “revolves with tireless, determined grace.” The use of powerful imagery in the poem highlights these themes and creates a sense of awe and wonder at the cyclical nature of life, the power of the natural world, and the passing of time.

Structure and Form

The poem ‘The Flock’ adopts a free verse structure that doesn’t follow a strict rhyme scheme. Walcott structured the poem into four stanzas with varying lengths, each containing a blend of natural descriptions and the speaker’s reflections. Using metaphors and imagery, the poem explores the themes of time, change, and migration. The language is rich in sensory detail and figurative language. Walcott carefully crafted the poem’s structure and form to convey the themes of change and continuity while exploring the relationship between the individual and the natural world.

Poetic Techniques and Figurative Language

In ‘The Flock,’ Derek Walcott employs various poetic techniques and figurative language to convey his message. Notable examples of these techniques include:

• Imagery: Walcott uses vivid imagery to evoke the natural world and the contrast between different environments. For example, “volleys of blue-wing teal and mallard fly / from the longbows of reeds bent by the wind” (lines 2-3) creates a visual image of birds flying in formation, while “Skeletal forest, a sepulchral knight / riding in silence at a black tarn’s edge” (lines 9-10) creates a haunting image of a dead forest.
• Symbolism: Walcott uses various symbols throughout the poem to represent different ideas. For example, the ‘blue-wing teal and mallard’ (line 2) represents the desire to escape from the harsh winter to a warmer climate, while the “iron contradiction” (line 14) represents the struggle between opposing forces.
• Personification: Walcott personifies various natural elements, such as the wind and the snow, to give them human-like qualities. For example, “hooves cannonading snow” (line 11) gives the impression that the snow is being pounded by horse hooves.
• Allusion: Walcott alludes to various historical and cultural references, such as the “sepulchral knight” (line 9), which alludes to the medieval period.
• Metaphor: Walcott uses metaphors to compare different objects or ideas. For example, “arrows of yearning for our different sky” (line 4) compares the birds flying south to arrows shot from a bow.
• Repetition: Walcott repeats certain phrases or words for emphasis, such as “migrating” (lines 5 and 16) and “winter’s augury” (line 13).
• Enjambment: Walcott uses enjambment, or the continuation of a sentence or phrase across lines, to create a sense of movement and fluidity. For example, “volleys of blue-wing teal and mallard fly / from the longbows of reeds bent by the wind” (lines 2-3) and “measuring winter’s augury by words / settling the branched mind like migrating birds” (lines 13-14).

Detailed Analysis

Derek Walcott’s poem ‘The Flock’ is a meditation on the passage of time and the cyclical nature of seasons. The poem is structured in four stanzas, each focusing on a different aspect of this theme.

Stanza One

The grip of winter tightening, its thinned

volleys of blue-wing teal and mallard fly

from the longbows of reeds bent by the wind,

arrows of yearning for our different sky.

(…)

and never question when they come or go.

The first stanza begins with an image of winter tightening its grip as migratory birds such as teal and mallards fly away from the cold northern hemisphere in search of warmer climates. The poet likens these birds to arrows of yearning, seeking a different sky, and notes that their sense of direction is honed by a season’s revolution. In contrast to the birds, the poet awakens to the violence of images migrating from his mind. He describes a “skeletal forest and a sepulchral knight riding silently at a black tarn’s edge,” evoking a sense of death and decay.

The image of hooves hitting the snow in the white funeral of the year suggests the inevitability of winter’s end. The stanza ends with a note of irony, as the poet observes that the knight is “vizor’d with blind defiance of his quest, / its yearly divination of the spring.” The knight’s quest is futile, as the poet knows that winter will eventually give way to spring.

Stanza Two

The style tension of motion and the dark,

(…)

exultant larks.

In the second stanza, Walcott suggests that despite the world’s constant changes over centuries, certain things remain unchanged, such as our human interests and our fascination with flight. He suggests that as we move forward in time, we should continue to be captivated by the idea of overcoming our limitations, and this is reflected in our art and literature. The last line, “survive our condemnation and the sun’s exultant larks,” emphasizes that our desire for flight and transcendence remains despite our limited lifespan and the inevitable passage of time.

Stanza Three

The dark, impartial Artic

(. . .)

whitening tundras like engulfing snow.

In the third stanza, the poet reflects on the passage of time and the unchanging nature of the world. He describes the Arctic, with its glaciers that once encased the mastodon and froze giant minds in marble attitudes. The image of the world revolving around its centuries suggests the vastness of time and the insignificance of human beings within it. Despite the changes in language, climate, customs, and light, the poet notes that our prepossession with images of flight endures year after year. The sun’s “exultant larks” suggest a sense of celebration or triumph, but the poet’s tone is somber as he contemplates the relentless march of time.

Stanza Four

Till its annihilation may the mind

(…)

both for their need and for my sense of season

In the fourth stanza, the poet reflects on his own place within this cycle of time. He hopes that his mind will reflect on its fixity through the winter, tropic, until the equinox when the clear eye clouds like a mirror. The image of the black wings crossing the clouded mirror suggests a moment of epiphany or revelation.

The poet sees these wings as a blessing, like the high, whirring flock that flew across the cold sky of the page when he began this journey. The poem ends with a sense of closure as the poet reflects on his journey and the birds’ instinctive need to find their secret places. Both the birds and the poet are part of a larger cycle of time, driven by instinct and the passage of the seasons.

The narrator suggests that the human mind should reflect upon its own fixity or unchanging nature throughout the seasons. He expresses this through the metaphorical reference to the flock of birds that fly across the clear sky, which represents a change in season. The “clear eye” that “clouds like a mirror without contradiction” is an image of the mind, which is not affected by external changes. Walcott then portrays the flock of birds as a blessing that crosses the mind, indicating that it is important for the mind to acknowledge and embrace the changes of the season.

The journey that the speaker began at the wintry flare of dawn represents the start of a new season, and the flock’s instinctive flight to their secret places for their needs and sense of season encourages the speaker to similarly embrace the changes that come with each season. Therefore, Walcott’s message in this stanza is that the human mind should acknowledge the changes of the season and reflect upon its own unchanging nature to appreciate and adapt to the world around us.

FAQs

Similar Poetry

Readers who enjoyed this poem should also consider reading some other Derek Walcott poems. For example: 

• ‘The Almond Trees‘ is a confessional poem about identity, history, and cultural identity.
• ‘Ruins of a Great House‘ combines historical and cultural abuse themes with factual reasoning and literary references.
• ‘The Wind in the Dooryard‘ is dedicated to the life and the work of Eric Roach, a well-respected poet who died by suicide.