In "A Bird, came down the Walk," a speaker's seemingly everyday encounter with a bird leads to thoughts about the frightening side of nature—as well as nature's beauty. Under this speaker's watchful eye, the bird is at once a merciless predator, an anxious and vulnerable animal, and a lovely spark of life. Like many of Emily Dickinson's poems, this one uses unique and unconventional syntax (a.k.a. the order of words in a sentence). It was published only after Dickinson's death, when her younger sister discovered a treasure trove of poetry hidden in her bedroom, and first appeared in a posthumous collection, Poems, in 1891.
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1A Bird, came down the Walk—
2He did not know I saw—
3He bit an Angle Worm in halves
4And ate the fellow, raw,
5And then, he drank a Dew
6From a convenient Grass—
7And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
8To let a Beetle pass—
9He glanced with rapid eyes,
10That hurried all abroad—
11They looked like frightened Beads, I thought,
12He stirred his Velvet Head.—
13Like one in danger, Cautious,
14I offered him a Crumb,
15And he unrolled his feathers,
16And rowed him softer Home—
17Than Oars divide the Ocean,
18Too silver for a seam,
19Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,
20Leap, plashless as they swim
1A Bird, came down the Walk—
2He did not know I saw—
3He bit an Angle Worm in halves
4And ate the fellow, raw,
5And then, he drank a Dew
6From a convenient Grass—
7And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
8To let a Beetle pass—
9He glanced with rapid eyes,
10That hurried all abroad—
11They looked like frightened Beads, I thought,
12He stirred his Velvet Head.—
13Like one in danger, Cautious,
14I offered him a Crumb,
15And he unrolled his feathers,
16And rowed him softer Home—
17Than Oars divide the Ocean,
18Too silver for a seam,
19Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,
20Leap, plashless as they swim
A Bird, came down the Walk—
He did not know I saw—
He bit an Angle Worm in halves
And ate the fellow, raw,
And then, he drank a Dew
From a convenient Grass—
And then hopped sidewise to the Wall
To let a Beetle pass—
He glanced with rapid eyes,
That hurried all abroad—
They looked like frightened Beads, I thought,
He stirred his Velvet Head.—
Like one in danger, Cautious,
I offered him a Crumb,
And he unrolled his feathers,
And rowed him softer Home—
Than Oars divide the Ocean,
Too silver for a seam,
Or Butterflies, off Banks of Noon,
Leap, plashless as they swim
Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.
Background on the Poem's Punctuation — Read an excerpt of scholar Helen Vendler's essay on how Dickinson's punctuation works in this poem. The choice between a comma and a period makes a big difference!
The Emily Dickinson Museum — Visit the website of the Emily Dickinson museum for more information about her life and work.
A Manuscript of the Poem — See "A Bird, came down the Walk" in Dickinson's own handwriting.
The Poetry Foundation's Dickinson Page — Read a short biography of Dickinson, and find links to more of her poetry.
A Song Inspired by the Poem — Listen to a piece of instrumental music based on this poem.