Brave as a falcon and as merciless

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt's Brave as a falcon and as merciless

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt’s “Brave as a falcon and as merciless” is a compact yet deeply evocative poem that explores themes of love, freedom, and the paradoxical nature of human desire. Through the extended metaphor of a falcon, Blunt crafts a meditation on the tension between possession and liberation, between the yearning to love and the inevitability of loss. The poem’s emotional resonance is heightened by its historical and cultural context, its rich literary devices, and its philosophical undertones, making it a compelling subject for close analysis.

Historical and Cultural Context

Blunt (1840–1922) was a British poet, diplomat, and anti-imperialist activist whose work often reflected his rebellious spirit and romantic idealism. His personal life was marked by passionate—and often tumultuous—relationships, most notably with Lady Anne Noel, Byron’s granddaughter, with whom he shared a tempestuous marriage. Blunt’s poetry frequently grappled with themes of love, power, and freedom, mirroring his own experiences of both political and personal defiance.

The late 19th century, when Blunt was most active, was a period of shifting social mores, particularly concerning gender and relationships. The Victorian era’s rigid expectations of love and marriage were beginning to fray, giving way to more complex, sometimes darker, explorations of human attachment. Blunt’s poem can be read as a response to these tensions—an acknowledgment of love’s fleeting nature and the impossibility of truly possessing another soul.

Moreover, falconry, the art of training birds of prey, was a well-established aristocratic pastime in Europe, symbolizing both dominance and delicate control. The falcon in Blunt’s poem is not merely a decorative image but a deeply symbolic figure, embodying both the beauty of unrestrained wildness and the melancholy of temporary captivity.

Literary Devices and Imagery

1. The Extended Metaphor of the Falcon

The poem’s central metaphor—the beloved as a falcon—is sustained throughout, allowing Blunt to explore the dynamics of love and freedom. The falcon is “brave,” “merciless,” and possesses “bright eyes,” suggesting an almost predatory allure. This imagery conveys both admiration and a sense of danger, reinforcing the idea that the beloved is untamable.

The falcon’s “lone majesty” and its position “high above the press” (the crowd below) establish it as a figure of superiority, untouchable and self-sufficient. The speaker’s awe is palpable, yet there is also an implicit acknowledgment that such a creature cannot be held forever.

2. Paradox and Irony

One of the poem’s most striking elements is its use of paradox. The falcon’s soul is described as “A prisoner there in chains of tenderness,” suggesting that love itself is a form of bondage. The beloved, though seemingly free, is paradoxically constrained by their own capacity for affection. This duality—freedom versus captivity, love as both liberation and imprisonment—lies at the heart of the poem.

There is also deep irony in the speaker’s attempt to “beguile / My foolish heart to think thou lovest me.” The speaker knows the relationship is transient, yet they indulge in the illusion of permanence. This self-awareness heightens the emotional impact, as the speaker is both complicit in and wounded by their own deception.

3. Visual and Kinetic Imagery

Blunt employs vivid visual imagery (“bright eyes,” “proud aérial way”) to create a sense of the falcon’s majesty. The kinetic quality of the poem—its movement from the falcon soaring above to its temporary perch in the speaker’s hand—mirrors the emotional arc from admiration to possession to anticipated loss.

The contrast between the “dull crowd” and the falcon’s brilliance further emphasizes the beloved’s uniqueness. The crowd’s inability to “guess / The secret of thy proud aérial way” suggests that true understanding of such a figure is reserved only for the speaker, deepening the intimacy—and the tragedy—of the eventual separation.

Themes

1. The Illusion of Possession in Love

The poem interrogates the human desire to possess what is inherently free. The speaker holds the falcon “in my hand to-day,” but the phrasing is tinged with impermanence (“awhile thou deignest to be / Pleased”). The beloved’s compliance is temporary, a fleeting concession rather than true submission.

This theme resonates with broader Romantic and Victorian anxieties about the nature of love—whether it can ever be fully reciprocal or whether it is always shadowed by the specter of loss. The speaker’s reluctant admission, “I dare not love thee quite,” underscores the fear of emotional vulnerability in the face of inevitable departure.

2. Freedom vs. Captivity

The falcon’s eventual return to the heavens (“thou shalt sail back heavenwards”) reinforces the idea that true love does not seek to imprison. The speaker’s sorrow (“Woe is me!”) is not just at the loss of the beloved but at the recognition that love, in its purest form, requires letting go.

This tension between holding on and releasing mirrors philosophical discussions on free will and attachment. One might draw parallels with John Donne’s “The Flea” or Emily Dickinson’s depictions of love as both ecstatic and agonizing—Blunt’s poem similarly captures the bittersweet nature of human connection.

3. The Sublime and the Unattainable

The falcon embodies the Romantic sublime—a force that is awe-inspiring yet ultimately beyond human control. The speaker’s admiration is mixed with resignation, recognizing that the beloved’s very beauty lies in their uncontainable nature.

This theme aligns with the Kantian notion of the sublime as something that overwhelms human comprehension. The falcon’s “proud aérial way” is not just a physical flight but a metaphor for the ineffable quality of true love or artistic inspiration—something that can be momentarily grasped but never fully owned.

Comparative Analysis

Blunt’s poem can be fruitfully compared to other works that employ avian imagery to explore love and freedom. In Shakespeare’s Sonnet 65, love is a fleeting force that even “Time’s best jewel” cannot hold. Similarly, in Yeats’s “The Wild Swans at Coole,” the swans’ eternal beauty contrasts with the speaker’s aging mortality, much like Blunt’s falcon serves as a reminder of transience.

Another compelling comparison is with Elizabeth Barrett Browning’s “How Do I Love Thee?” where love is infinite and transcendent. Blunt’s poem, by contrast, presents love as finite and conditional—a temporary captivity rather than an eternal bond.

Emotional Impact

The poem’s emotional power lies in its restraint. The speaker does not rage against the beloved’s inevitable departure but instead acknowledges it with quiet sorrow. The final line—“Woe is me!”—echoes classical lamentations, lending the poem a timeless, almost mythic quality.

The falcon’s return to the sky is both a loss and a fulfillment—the beloved was never meant to be caged, and the speaker’s love, however deep, cannot change that. This resignation is profoundly moving, as it speaks to the universal human experience of loving something (or someone) that cannot be held.

Conclusion

Wilfrid Scawen Blunt’s “Brave as a falcon and as merciless” is a masterful exploration of love’s ephemeral nature. Through its rich imagery, paradox, and emotional nuance, the poem captures the delicate balance between possession and freedom, between the joy of connection and the pain of release.

Blunt’s work remains relevant because it speaks to an enduring truth: that the things we love most are often those we cannot keep. The falcon, in its fierce independence, becomes a symbol of all that is beautiful and unattainable in life—reminding us that sometimes, the deepest love is the one we dare not hold too tightly.

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