Bairn (Scottish Highers English): Revision Notes

Bairn

Overview

"Bairn" by Imtiaz Dharker compares the hope and wonder brought by the presence of a baby to the freshness of a beautiful snowy morning. The poem moves from describing the natural world outside to exploring the transforming presence of a child inside the speaker's home.

The poem opens with the speaker waking up and marvelling at the beauty of nature. They describe both the visual appeal of snow and the auditory delight of birdsong. The second stanza shifts to the transforming presence of the baby in the house. Whatever seems dark or wrong with the world has been changed to light and positive feelings because of the love the speaker feels for their child. The speaker ends by commenting on the existence of life-affirming aspects of the world.

Understanding the title

The title "Bairn" tells us what this poem is about. Bairn is a Scottish and Northern English term for a child or baby. The baby is not explicitly mentioned anywhere in the body of the poem, so the title helps the reader understand who the speaker is addressing.

Form and structure

The poem contains fifteen lines, divided into three stanzas. The first two stanzas contain seven lines each, whilst the final stanza consists of only one line. This unusual structure creates emphasis on the closing statement.

The poem is written in free verse with no specific rhyme scheme or regular rhythm. However, there is an underlying iambic rhythm throughout most of the poem. This rhythm follows an unstressed-stressed syllable pattern (ti-tum) which echoes the gentle rhythm of a child being rocked to sleep.

Dharker occasionally breaks this smooth pattern to give emphasis to specific words. For example, in line seven of the opening stanza, "wiped clean" contains two consecutive stressed syllables. This is known as a spondee, and it emphasises the action of purification. The breaking of the smooth 'ti-tum' flow draws attention to these moments.

The poem also employs various sound effects:

• Internal rhymes appear throughout, such as the rhyming of "room" and "bloom" in lines two and three. These rhymes occur within the body of the verse rather than in the typical end-line position.

• Alliteration appears in phrases like "when the world is wrong" in line two of the second stanza. The repetition of the 'w' sound creates a weary, worried tone that contrasts with the hope to follow.

• Assonance links words through vowel sounds, as in "pace of the day has changed" in line six of the first stanza. The long 'a' sound connects these words.

Structural progression

Each stanza has a distinct focus:

Stanza one: waking to wonder

The speaker awakes and describes impressions of a snowy morning, with birdsong outside. There is a sense that something beautiful is coming into being.

The stanza begins emphatically: "There is no way to explain". This use of hyperbole suggests the wonder of the experience is beyond words. However, this is almost a contradiction, because by describing the scene so beautifully, the poem does go some way towards explaining it. This technique draws attention to the speaker's overwhelming emotions.

The references to "light that rises", "early morning", "bloom of snow" and "slow dawning of white" throughout the opening lines create a feeling of a magical new beginning. The new day and the fresh, fallen snow give the impression of innocence and starting again. These ideas of dawn and renewal are developed later in the stanza and become central to the poem's meaning.

The speaker is not yet fully awake, as shown and emphasised by the spondee "closed lids". The two stressed syllables together halt the smooth iambic rhythm, drawing attention to this detail. Despite having closed eyes, the speaker can sense this morning marvel without looking. The suggestion is that the speaker is so close to nature that they can "feel" morning happening. Perhaps the closed lids are like the petals of a flower opening as it blooms, reinforcing the natural imagery.

The connection with nature continues in the phrase "the body is quick to know". The word "quick" here means alive or responsive, suggesting the speaker is in tune with the world around them. They are coming to life just as the day is. We move with the speaker from being asleep to waking.

This idea is reinforced by the assonance in line six: "the pace of the day has changed, the space / wiped clean". The long 'a' sound in "pace", "day", "changed", "space" creates a flowing connection between these words. The rhythm changes here, drawing attention to the transformation occurring.

The last words of the stanza, "first bird, first song", are stressed syllables (two spondaic feet in a row, known as a dispondee). This halts the rhythm completely, almost as if the speaker is pausing to listen. The idea of new beginnings is emphasised through the repetition of "first". This phrase also introduces the auditory element of the natural world, complementing the visual imagery of the snow.

Throughout this stanza, sound effects create echoes rather than full rhymes, maintaining the intimate, fluid quality of the language. Examples include:

• The repetition of 'l' sounds in "explain", "light", "early" and "closed lids"
• The alliteration "rises into a room"
• The vowel echoes in "light" and "rises", "closed" and "slow", "make" and "way"
• The end-line rhyme in "snow" and "know"

Stanza two: transformation through love

Stanza two begins with the same words as stanza one: "There is no way to explain". The use of hyperbole and repetition of this line emphasises the strength of the speaker's emotions. Their awe has overcome them to the point that they struggle to find words. This emphatic, definite tone contrasts with the marvel and mystery of the rest of the stanza. The repetition also creates a structural link between the two stanzas, connecting the wonder of nature with the wonder of the child.

The idea of new beginnings continues, but this time the transformation is more personal and human. In the second line of the stanza, the idea that "even when the world is wrong" is introduced, a shift from the wonder of the opening stanza. This acknowledges the troubles and difficulties of the wider world, creating a contrast with the personal joy the speaker feels.

However, the tone shifts again to one of hope: "even when the world is wrong, […] it can still be new, renewed". Enjambment highlights the words "wrong" and "renewed" at the ends of lines two and three, emphasising the contrast between the wider world and the hope the baby brings. These line breaks force the reader to pause on these key opposing words.

The echoing vowel sound in "new", "renewed" and "you" links the theme of renewal directly to the baby. No matter how sickened the speaker is with all the terrible things in the world, the baby brings a life-affirming change to the day, just as the snow was transformative in the opening lines of the poem. The repetition of "new" emphasises this renewal.

The baby's voice is described as being "against the dark", connecting their presence to light and life. The preposition "against" suggests opposition or resistance, as if the baby's voice is fighting darkness. This creates the baby as a source of hope in difficult times.

The words "your voice / rising into the house" create an uplifting feeling. The verb "rising" suggests ascent, growth, and hope, echoing the "light that rises" in stanza one. The enjambment here emphasises "rising", making the upward movement more pronounced. This structural choice mirrors the meaning of the words.

The final line of this stanza directly echoes a line from stanza one: "The face of the day is changed". In stanza one, the line was "the pace of the day has changed". The word "has" is replaced with "is" here to create a more definite and emphatic tone, suggesting something permanent rather than temporary.

Stanza three: life-affirming conclusion

The final stanza consists of just one line: "There are things that cleanse the heart". The brevity of this stanza places strong emphasis on the idea that the wonder of nature, of a crisp new morning, is tied together with the baby's life.

This is a strong metaphorical statement that suggests the firm and lasting positive impact on the speaker's feelings. The metaphor of cleansing connects back to the "space / wiped clean" from stanza one, creating a structural link. Just as the snow purifies the physical landscape, the baby purifies the emotional landscape of the speaker's heart.

The word "cleanse" reinforces the idea that nature's beauty and the baby's arrival have an impact that purifies and wipes away all bad feeling and soul-sickness. This is a powerful verb, suggesting deep, thorough purification rather than superficial change.

The declarative sentence structure gives this line a quality of wisdom or truth. By placing it alone as the final stanza, Dharker ensures these words resonate and remain with the reader. The structural isolation mirrors the clarity and certainty of the statement.

Key themes

Change and new beginnings

The poem demonstrates the impact of positive change on the speaker. Having the baby has transformed their life in the same way that a sunrise changes night into day, or how the landscape can be transformed by a fall of snow. The whole world has become a place of hope and potential, despite any sadness or worries that came before.

The theme of new beginnings in nature runs throughout the opening stanza. The dawn of the day, the newly-fallen snow, and the "first bird, first song" all represent fresh starts and untouched potential. This is echoed in the second stanza by the hope brought by the baby, a new life. The parallel structure between the stanzas reinforces the connection between natural renewal and human renewal.

The power of emotions and relationships

This is a poem about overwhelming love felt by the speaker for their child. The closeness, happiness and harmony of this love has made the world completely new and different. No matter how troubled or disturbing the world seems, the simple presence of the beloved baby is a protection "against the dark".

The phrase "against the dark" suggests the baby's voice actively combats darkness, both literal and metaphorical. This implies that love and connection can protect us from despair and hopelessness. The relationship between parent and child becomes a source of strength and resilience.

The hyperbole in the repeated phrase "There is no way to explain" emphasises how the experience exceeds language. Some feelings are so powerful that they resist articulation, yet the poem itself becomes an attempt to capture this inexpressible joy.

Humanity's link to the natural environment and the beauty of nature

The poem begins by describing the power of the morning light, falling snow, and birdsong to transform the world. The speaker is intuitively aware of the brightness even before they are properly awake, as suggested by the phrase "the body is quick to know". This suggests a deep connection between humanity and the natural world that operates below conscious awareness.

The speaker's delight in the beautiful snow and the birdsong shows how important our natural environment is to our wellbeing. Their love of nature is compared to the deep devotion felt for their baby, placing both on the same level of importance. This comparison elevates the natural world whilst also grounding the human experience in natural cycles.

Comparing "Bairn" to other Imtiaz Dharker poems

Similarities with "Bloom"

Both "Bairn" and "Bloom" deal with the transforming power of parental love. In both cases, the speaker demonstrates how the presence of a new baby enlightens their perspective, opening their eyes and hearts to the world around them. In "Bairn", the arrival of the baby is compared to the magical change brought about by a snowy morning. In "Bloom", the speaker's realisation of how important the baby is helps them understand their own relationship with the world around them.

Connections with "The Knot" and "Stitch"

"The Knot" and "Stitch" also link with "Bairn" as they take vivid childhood memories as their starting points. In both these poems, the speaker is a child remembering an important experience and reflecting on the power of emotions to impact on their lives. "Bairn" also deals with powerful emotions, but in this case the speaker is the parent, expressing the positive impact of their love for the child. The perspective has shifted from child to parent, but the focus on formative emotional experiences remains.

Parallels with "Letters to Glasgow"

In "Letters to Glasgow", the older lady on the train shows the speaker photographs and reminisces about her family. The sense of love, belonging and connection to something larger than yourself is evident here, as it is in "Bairn". The passengers on the train are described "as if someone has waited for them too long,/ as if they are love letters, delivered home". This creates a similar sense of love and belonging that transcends words.

Relationship with "Send this"

"Send this" has a more complex relationship with memory and belonging. The speaker of that poem wants to face the reality of her city being transformed. However, as in "Bairn", the idea of renewal and change is ultimately hopeful and positive. The rejection of sentimentality can be read as a real love of the place, no matter how many times it changes and renews itself. Both poems celebrate transformation and the ability to find meaning in change.

Remember!