The Darkling Thrush, by Thomas Hardy episode artwork

EPISODE · Dec 28, 2025 · 6 MIN

The Darkling Thrush, by Thomas Hardy

from Musical Poetry · host Michael Appelt

These are the days between Christmas and New Year, when celebration has faded, time slows, and the future has not yet begun.In this episode of Musical Poetry, we present “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy.Written at the very end of 1900 and first published in 1901, the poem stands at the threshold between centuries. Hardy looks at a winter landscape that feels exhausted and silent, and then hears a small bird sing, without reason, without explanation.This episode sets Hardy’s words against a melancholic, minimalist R&B soundscape, paired with a black-and-white animation that moves slowly, allowing silence and stillness to speak.

These are the days between Christmas and New Year, when celebration has faded, time slows, and the future has not yet begun.In this episode of Musical Poetry, we present “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy.Written at the very end of 1900 and first published in 1901, the poem stands at the threshold between centuries. Hardy looks at a winter landscape that feels exhausted and silent, and then hears a small bird sing, without reason, without explanation.This episode sets Hardy’s words against a melancholic, minimalist R&B soundscape, paired with a black-and-white animation that moves slowly, allowing silence and stillness to speak.

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The Darkling Thrush, by Thomas Hardy

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These are the days between Christmas and New Year, when celebration has faded, time slows, and the future has not yet begun.In this episode of Musical Poetry, we present “The Darkling Thrush” by Thomas Hardy.Written at the very end of 1900 and...

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