Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon, my Darlings.   Today’s post is a line-by-line analysis of the poem In the Forest by Oscar Wilde.   The bold text between each line of the poem is my analysis.   I accessed the text of the poem on poets.org: https://poets.org/poem/forest-0.   Without further ado, let’s look at the poem!

IN THE FOREST

by Oscar Wilde

Out of the mid-wood’s twilight

~Right away we are dropped into a line telling us that we are in a woodland at twilight.   For a short poem such as this setting the scene in the first line is paramount! 
    Into the meadow’s dawn, 

~The next line shows a passage of time, the night has ended and a new day is beginning.
Ivory limbed and brown-eyed, 

~We get a description of a person for the first time, realizing that the narrator is not alone in this woodland.
    Flashes my Faun!

~The person who is with the narrator is a Faun, a Faery who is half goat and known for his powerful might, often seen as even a rural deity full of blessings. 

He skips through the copses singing,

~As is common for a Faun, he is singing, as this species of Faeries is very musical. 
    And his shadow dances along, 

~More of the Faun’s musical nature is assured by the statement that he dances as well.
And I know not which I should follow,  

~The narrator begins to question whether he wants to follow the Faun.
    Shadow or song! 

~His uncertainty is whether to stick to the comfort of the Shadows or follow in the enchantment of the Faery Song.

O Hunter, snare me his shadow! 

~The narrator is very tempted to become ensnared by the Faun’s enchantment.
    O Nightingale, catch me his strain!  

~The music is moving the narrator to action.
Else moonstruck with music and madness  

~The narrator is becoming overcome by the energy and power of the Faery Song.
    I track him in vain!  

~The poem ends with the narrator not being able to find the Faun again, which is a common occurrence in Faerylore, as the Fae are often tricksy, and if you lose Sight of them, they can disappear quickly!

~I hope you have enjoyed my line-by-line analysis of this short poem by Oscar Wilde.   Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is an artwork of a Faun.   I found the image on https://www.pinterest.com/pin/178314466476485462/.

Tarot Announcement: I want to announce that I am going to have my first-ever Tarot Reading Special here on the White Rose of Avalon Online Shop!   Beginning on February 1st, I will be running a Valentine’s Day Tarot Reading Special, available only in the month of February.   I will be doing a whole post about this on February 1st, explaining exactly what the special is when it goes live, so please stay tuned, my Darlings!

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