Song Meaning
The poem opens with a stark image of mental turmoil, a "wood of thoughts" that flourishes in darkness only to be brutally "cut down by the sharp axe of light." This sets a tone of struggle, where the night represents a confusing, perhaps anxious, inner state, and the dawn signifies an unwelcome, clarifying force.
This transition is immediately punctuated by the sound of "two cocks together crow," a powerful auditory image that cleaves the lingering darkness. The narrator perceives these birds not just as animals, but as "twin trumpeters," "Heralds of splendour," suggesting a dramatic, almost ceremonial announcement of the new day. They stand "Each facing each as in a coat of arms," creating a visual of balanced, heraldic power that contrasts with the earlier chaotic "wood of thoughts."
The true craft lies in the juxtaposition of this grand, almost mythic imagery with the mundane reality of "The milkers lace their boots up at the farms." This grounding detail, appearing right after the celestial trumpeters, emphasizes the ordinary, unglamorous work that follows even the most dramatic dawn. It suggests that while the mind might grapple with profound transitions, the world continues its practical, everyday rhythm.
This contrast is what makes the lyrics resonate. The poem captures that specific moment when the internal world of anxieties and reflections is forcefully interrupted by the undeniable, practical arrival of morning. The "silver blow" of the cock crow is both a beautiful, startling sound and a reminder that the day's labor must begin, regardless of the night's mental landscape.
View Artist