Crow as messenger
Personification of a crow delivering a message—an unusual narrative device that gives agency to a bird.
Indirect communication
Message is relayed through multiple intermediaries: bluebird to crow to narrator to Lesley—a complex communication chain.
Bluebird's dramatic exit
Wind so harsh it nearly strips bird's tail feathers—a metaphorical description of harsh winter conditions.
Reading Notes
Frost's Playful Wilderness Narrative
This poem demonstrates Frost's ability to transform a simple interaction into a complex narrative. The crow becomes an unlikely messenger, delivering a poetic telegram from a departed bluebird to a child named Lesley.
The language blends whimsy and natural observation, characteristic of Frost's approach to rural storytelling. By personifying birds and creating an elaborate communication system, Frost turns a potential farewell into a magical moment of connection.
Winter's Narrative of Departure
[CONTEXT: Likely references Frost's New England rural life, where winter migrations and harsh conditions were everyday experiences]
The poem subtly explores themes of seasonal transition and temporary separation. The bluebird's dramatic winter departure—nearly losing tail feathers to the wind—becomes a metaphor for resilience and the inevitability of change.
Notice how the final lines promise potential return ('perhaps in the spring / He would come back and sing'), suggesting hope and cyclical renewal typical of Frost's nature poetry.