The Sparrow Hawk, The Keeper And I

Alan S Jeeves 1951 (Lancashire)



As a boy I applauded her magnificent figure;
As a boy I watched her fly, in the sky, so high.
As a boy I admired her almighty vigour;
As a boy I watched her deftly swoop and swirl.
As a boy my intransigent senses she was able to trigger.

She was coloured golden brown as she flew;
She flashed and dazzled in the early morning sunshine.
She commanded the air as she soared straight and true;
Her eyes could see far - much farther than those of you or I.
Below nothing could obscure her view of the ground, bathed in dew.

She adorned the sky as the night-time darkness was done;
She was so beautiful against the backdrop of the heavens.
She was seen at a time when blackness was on the run;
She, alone, ruled the universe ~ that is, but for one ~
Beneath her prowled the keeper in his spats and breeches ~ and his gun.  

Morning came to me easily, I ardently welcomed her here;
How could I not be in awe of this special time?
Now I could join the sparrowhawk, see her dive and veer.
She paid no heed to me ~ why should she? ~ I was her friend, you see!
She called out her 'Good morning' to me as I lent her my ear.

She flew in the peaceful stillness of the cool, clean air;
Silent, the world was silent all about us.
Then my exalted solitude was dashed , standing there;
A violent crack, a puff of smoke..... and she was gone,
I frantically searched the sky but she was nowhere.

As a man I recall my sparrowhawk, anamnesis she still dictates
(She even tumbled lifeless to the ground with dignity and grace).
As a man I may, myself, in time arrive at heaven's golden gates;
She knows that I will come and not betray her...
But she is ever patient and has faith ~ she awaits.

About this poem

A true story of a boy and his friend a Sparrow Hawk. Taken from the prose poetry piece 'The Widecombe Fair Chestnut Mare - Trilogy' for storystar.com (2007)

Font size:
Collection  PDF     
 

Submitted by AlanSJeeves on July 18, 2021

Modified on April 27, 2023

1:38 min read
13

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABAXA CXCBC DXDDD EXXXE FXFXF GXGAG
Closest metre Iambic heptameter
Characters 1,642
Words 326
Stanzas 6
Stanza Lengths 5, 5, 5, 5, 5, 5

Alan S Jeeves

Alan S Jeeves is a Lancashire (England) born, Yorkshire based classical poet. more…

All Alan S Jeeves poems | Alan S Jeeves Books

3 fans

Discuss the poem The Sparrow Hawk, The Keeper And I with the community...

0 Comments

    Translation

    Find a translation for this poem in other languages:

    Select another language:

    • - Select -
    • 简体中文 (Chinese - Simplified)
    • 繁體中文 (Chinese - Traditional)
    • Español (Spanish)
    • Esperanto (Esperanto)
    • 日本語 (Japanese)
    • Português (Portuguese)
    • Deutsch (German)
    • العربية (Arabic)
    • Français (French)
    • Русский (Russian)
    • ಕನ್ನಡ (Kannada)
    • 한국어 (Korean)
    • עברית (Hebrew)
    • Gaeilge (Irish)
    • Українська (Ukrainian)
    • اردو (Urdu)
    • Magyar (Hungarian)
    • मानक हिन्दी (Hindi)
    • Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Italiano (Italian)
    • தமிழ் (Tamil)
    • Türkçe (Turkish)
    • తెలుగు (Telugu)
    • ภาษาไทย (Thai)
    • Tiếng Việt (Vietnamese)
    • Čeština (Czech)
    • Polski (Polish)
    • Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian)
    • Românește (Romanian)
    • Nederlands (Dutch)
    • Ελληνικά (Greek)
    • Latinum (Latin)
    • Svenska (Swedish)
    • Dansk (Danish)
    • Suomi (Finnish)
    • فارسی (Persian)
    • ייִדיש (Yiddish)
    • հայերեն (Armenian)
    • Norsk (Norwegian)
    • English (English)

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "The Sparrow Hawk, The Keeper And I" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/105245/the-sparrow-hawk,-the-keeper-and-i>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    March 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    2
    days
    18
    hours
    3
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    "I celebrate myself, and sing myself."
    A William Wordsworth
    B Billy Collins
    C Walt Whitman
    D Countee Cullen