Symbol Analysis
“Twelfth Song of Thunder” is about the voices of nature melding with one another to create one big, beautiful harmony. The poem creates a harmony out of the big noises of nature (like thunder) and the little noises, (like a grasshopper’s). In this way, the speaker suggests that all voices are important and equal to one another. Those loud kids in English class who hog the discussion sure could learn a lesson from this poem. All voices are equal—even the quiet ones.
- Lines 2-3: These lines evoke the “voice of thunder,” which comes from above. The speaker suggests that this voice is part of the harmony of nature.
- Line 6: The “voice of thunder” is part of the harmony of nature because it “beautifies the land.” It’s a voice that adds something to the natural environment.
- Lines 8-9: Here the speaker refers to a voice that is very different from the “voice of thunder:” it’s the “voice of the grasshopper” coming from below, from the grass. By evoking this quieter, less spectacular voice in the second stanza, the speaker suggests that the voice of the grasshopper is just as important as the voice of thunder.
- Line 12: Like the voice of thunder, the voice of the grasshopper also “beautifies the land.” In this way, the speaker creates a harmonic image, suggesting that this tiny voice also contributes to the harmony of nature. It makes the land beautiful, just as the voice of thunder does.