The Daring One

The Daring One

By: Edwin Markham

I would my soul were like the bird

That dares the vastness undeterred.

Look, where the bluebird on the bough

Breaks into rapture even now!

He sings, tip-top, the tossing elm

As tho he would a world o’erwhelm.

Indifferent to the void he rides

Upon the wind’s eternal tides.

He tosses gladly on the gale,

For well he knows he can not fail—

Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings

Will bear him upward while he sings!

This is the first poem that I chose to recite for the Poetry Out Loud project in class. What drew me to the poem was the theme it presented: be daring, courageous, and most importantly, trust yourself! I think these themes relate a lot to my current life, especially when I begin to think about college just a few short months away. When I get to East Lansing in August, I need to have confidence in myself, and be daring. I need to be able to trust my abilities and my skills. I know I will adapt readily to college, but I need to trust in myself. This poem also has some undertones of daring yourself to do new things. Be like the bird who flies into the wind unafraid. At Michigan State, I want to try new things and meet new people—I need to be daring.

            This theme of confidence and bravery is highlighted through the lines “Knows if the bough breaks, still his wings / Will bear him upward while he sings!” This passage demonstrates how this bird has full trust in himself that he will be able to fly if something goes awry. “If the bough breaks” the bird doesn’t freak out because he knows “his wings / Will bear him upwards.” The excerpt “I would my soul were like the bird / That dares the vastness undeterred” displays how a bird dares to fly into the wind because he knows his wings will carry him. The bird is confident.