The Peace of Wild Things Wendell Berry

When despair for the world grows in me and I wake in the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting with their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

The Heron

The wood drake

Paraphrase Lines 1-3: The poet wakes in the night at the smallest sound. He is fearful for his future & for the future of his children. His mood is one of despair. He is agitated (disturbed) & depressed because of present & possible future problems in daily life that affect his family.

Lines 4-5 That is why he goes to lie down outdoors in a wild place, near still water “where the wood drake/rests” & “the great heron feeds.” Lines 6-8 The wild things have a peace that comes from not burdening themselves with thoughts of the future because they live only in the moment (present).

Lines 8-10 The still water is calming & the stars are waiting to provide their light. They are “day- blind” & don’t concern themselves with what the next day will bring. Lines When the speaker rests in these natural surroundings, he feels free from worry about the future & forgets his concerns & sadness.

The Grace of the world: The speaker experiences a natural world that is blessed with calmness & peace. The animals, stars, & water receive this peace as a gift from nature; they do nothing to earn it. They expect to be taken care of & are free from worry.

Theme Often an insight about life or human nature, theme is the main idea or message of a work of literature. A poem may have a stated theme, which is expressed directly and explicitly, or an implied theme, which is not stated directly but is revealed through imagery and figures of speech. Readers may uncover one or more themes in any literary work, depending on their interpretations of it. In "The Peace of Wild Things" the idea is implied by the actions of the speaker and the results of those actions.

The theme might be: 1. Closeness to nature has a calming effect. Nature provides comfort & relief in its peace & its reminder to live in the present. 2. Freedom from worries and fears is temporary but welcome.