"Stormcock in Elder," first published in 1934, is one of the best-known poems by English writer Ruth Pitter. A traditionalist whose work employs classic meters and verse forms, Pitter published 18 volumes of poetry over a 70-year career, and was the first woman to receive the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. "Stormcock in Elder" is an ode to the mistle thrush, a bird that gets its nickname of "stormcock" based on the fact that it sings even in bad weather. This quality stirs the speaker of the poem's faith. "Stormcock in Elder" is an excellent example of the spiritual and rural focus of Pitter's poetry, relying on vivid imagery of the natural world in order to convey its speaker's transformative religious awakening upon hearing the bird's song.
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In my dark ...
... celestial food instead:
For suddenly close ...
... his singing glorified.
Scarcely an arm’s-length ...
... pointed tongue inside;
The large eye, ...
... roof I saw;
The flight-feathers in ...
... a brindled flower.
Soldier of fortune, ...
... at a feast.
One-half the world, ...
... by broken tile.
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.
Ruth Pitter's Life Story — An overview of Ruth Pitter's biography at the "Women in World History" encyclopedia.
The Ruth Pitter Project — A website dedicated to Ruth Pitter by literary scholar and Pitter expert Don W. King.
"Stormcock in Elder" Aloud — Listen to a reading of "Stormcock in Elder" by an English teacher.
The Stormcock — More about the stormcock bird, a.k.a. the mistle thrush.
Ruth Pitter and C.S. Lewis — More on the relationship between Ruth Pitter and writer C.S. Lewis.