The Secret
We have a secret, just we three,
The robin, and I, and the sweet cherry-tree;
The bird told the tree, and the tree told me,
And nobody knows it but just us three.
But of course the robin knows it best,
Because she built the—I shan't tell the rest;
And laid the four little—something in it—
I'm afraid I shall tell it every minute.
But if the tree and the robin don't peep,
I'll try my best the secret to keep;
Though I know when the little birds fly about
Then the whole secret will be out.
Hello Friends—
“The Secret” is written by Anonymous (of course, who else?). You can find it in The Golden Book of Poetry (1947). This poem is one of my favorite examples of withholding an expected rhyme — that moment when your ear hears “nest” without the poet ever writing it down. You’ve encountered this technique before: Alexander Pope uses it in “An Essay on Criticism,” The Killers use it in “Mr. Brightside.” What’s special about the use of withheld rhyme here in “The Secret” is that it so perfectly mimics the subject matter — that “I'm afraid I shall tell it every minute” feeling when a secret is just bursting through all your seams.
Happy Birthday, Robin and Megan! And to anyone else whose birthday the little bird didn’t tell me about.
And of course a Happy National Poetry Month!
Cheers,
Ellen