Summary

The speaker arrives home and sees a blackbird sitting in a patch of ivy. As the speaker sits and enjoys the peace and quiet, they remember a line from a poem they translated which references a deceased father and a “house of death” (Line 11). Then they think of the younger brother they lost years ago in an accident; at the time, a suspicious neighbor thought the blackbird sitting on their shed roof was an omen. When the speaker gets out of their car, the sound of the lock startles the bird into flight. The speaker sees themself as if from above and says goodbye to the bird, while also saying goodbye to life.

Analysis

“The Blackbird of Glanmore” begins with motion: the speaker arrives in front of their house and sees a blackbird who “Fill[s] the stillness with life” (Line 2). This first stanza...