"The Blinded Bird" is a 1916 poem written by English author and poet
Thomas Hardy.
The poem was reportedly written as a protest against
Vinkensport, a sort of singing competition between male
finch
The true finches are small to medium-sized passerine birds in the family Fringillidae. Finches have stout conical bills adapted for eating seeds and nuts and often have colourful plumage. They occupy a great range of habitats where they are usua ...
es. The poem decries the prior historical practice of blinding birds to improve their performance at the sport. For its last stanza Hardy borrows from the
New Testament
The New Testament grc, Ἡ Καινὴ Διαθήκη, transl. ; la, Novum Testamentum. (NT) is the second division of the Christian biblical canon. It discusses the teachings and person of Jesus, as well as events in first-century Chri ...
using themes found in
1 Cor. 13: 1-8.
The Era of Casual Fridays (a commonplace book (with commentary) devoted to literature)
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References
External links
The Blinded Bird at The Literature Network
1 Corinthians 13:1-8 (King James Version) at BibleGateway.com
Poetry by Thomas Hardy
1916 poems
Fiction about animal cruelty
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