The Morning
Sun Is
Shining
(Olive
Schreiner)
Who is Olive
Shreiner?
Summary
• In this poem the speaker praises the
beauty of Nature around her.
• She describes various aspects and
uses many auditory images to engage
the reader.
• The last four lines step away from the
natural scene.
• The sadness in these lines are
surprising, given the tone and content
of the preceding lines.
The Morning Sun is Shining
The morning sun is shining on
The green, green willow tree,
And sends a golden sunbeam
To dance upon my knee.
The fountain bubbles merrily,
The yellow locusts spring,
Of life and light and sunshine
The happy brown birds sing
The earth is clothed with beauty,
The air is filled with song,
The yellow thorn trees load the wind
With odours sweet and strong.
There is a hand I never touch
And a face I never see;
Now what is sunshine, what is song,
Now what is light to me?
• Lyric poem > musical quality to the
poem.
• 16-line poem made up of 4 distinct parts:
1-4 = the sense of sight
TYPE AND
5-8 = the sense of hearing
STRUCTURE 9-12 = the sense of smell
• Rhyme scheme: ABCBDEFE GHIHJKHK
Title: The Morning Sun is Rising
• Introduces a positive image.
• We associate a bright, sunny morning with warmth and happiness.
• BUT this is in contrast to the last 4 lines of the poem > the reader realises that
the “sun” is actually her last born(or a loved one) who died shortly after her
birth.
• Thus we have figurative irony here> her sun (child) is no longer shining (has
died)
• What begins as a lyrical celebration of nature ends up as a lament for the loss of
a loved one (maybe her child?)
• The juxtaposition between the beauty and abundance of Nature, and the
immense loss suffered by the speaker contributes to the sad tone of the poem.
1)The morning sun is shining on
2)The green, green willow tree,
3)And sends a golden sunbeam
4)To dance upon my knee.
• Sets the scene> The poet is sitting in the early morning sun enjoying the sight of the world
awakening. (early in the morning)
• S-alliteration > to emphasise the beautiful nature scene
• Sun + green > symbolic of life (life giving)
• Repetition of “green” reinforces the beauty of nature and how vibrant the colour of the
willow tree is.
• Personification > the sunbeam has the ability to dance.
• Literally = sunbeam
• Figuratively = she is referring to her child that died in infancy.
• Sunbeam > could be an affectionate term of endearment for her child.
• Dance > connotations of life and joy
5)The fountain bubbles merrily
6)The yellow locusts spring,
7)Of life and light and sunshine
8)The happy brown birds sing.
• Personification > The fountain has the ability to be joyful > reinforces the mood of
happiness and the idyllic beautiful morning.
• Fountain = A spring of water or stream (maybe a water feature?)
• bubbles > action OR a sound > onomatopoeia > creates a carefree mood.
• The locust is the same colour as the sunbeam > connects the two
• The movement of the locust is compared to the movement of light through the trees.
• Spring = jump > connotation of excitement.
• L-alliteration > emphasises the movement and the feeling of joy and excitement.
• Repetition of “and” >indicates the spontaneous expression of emotions > this in turn
reinforces the beauty of the surroundings.
• The bird that is singing contributes to the idea that the natural world is celebrating life.
9)The earth is clothed with beauty,
10)The air is filled with song,
11)The yellow thorn trees load the wind
12)With odours sweet and strong.
• Personification > The earth is wearing beautiful clothing > human ability
• Even the air is filled with “song”(happiness) = sound of the birds
• yellow > again the colour yellow > to indicate happiness
• The thorn trees are in full bloom and it fills the air with a sweet smell.
• Thorn trees > gives context to the poem > setting is in South Africa
• Load the wind > fills the wind
• S-alliteration > emphasises the sweet smell in the air.
• The sibilant s-sound > contribute to the lyrical quality of the poem.
13)There is a hand I never touch
14)And a face I never see;
15)Now what is sunshine, what is song,
16)Now what is light to me?
• Change in tone > sadness + grief > in contrast with the first 3 quatrains.
• The speaker is filled with despair because she has lost someone important to her (her
daughter)
• Repetition of “never” > indicates that there is no possibility of her being able to touch or
see her child (because she is dead)
• A tone of bitterness creeps in as she questions the purpose and meaning of this beauty if
she cannot share it with her loved one.
• Rhetorical questions > The speaker also “forces” the reader to question the purpose and
meaning of this beautiful morning.
• No sense of resolution or closure.
TONE THEMES
• Lines 1-12 = happy, cheerful and
peaceful
• Permanence of nature
• Lines 13-16 = sorrowful and bitter
• Loneliness and despair
• Futility of human relations
• The transience (brief / short) nature of
human life
MOOD
• Lines 1-12 = celebratory and
happy mood (the poet admires
the beauty of nature)
• Lines 13-16 = sombre mood > the
speaker expresses her sadness
and bitterness (her only child is
dead)
