Stanza 1 Summary

Lines 1-4

My heart is like a singing bird
   Whose nest is in a water'd shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
   Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;

• Okay, everyone, gather around—it's simile time, brought to you by the very first line in "A Birthday."
• The speaker is comparing her (we're just guessing she's a her at this point—check out "Speaker" for more) heart to a singing bird.
• More specifically, she compares it to a singing bird that's made its nest in a well-watered plant or tree ("shoot"). It's living in a nice neighborhood, in other words.
• The speaker then stays with the botanical theme by comparing her heart to an apple tree (mmm, apples).
• This simile goes to on describe the apple tree's limbs ("boughs"), which are so filled with heavy fruit that they're actually bent.
• That's one healthy tree.
• The comparisons here let us know that the speaker's in a good place. Her heart is full, happy, and healthy—good for her.
• We get added harmony in the regular meter and rhyme scheme of these lines. For the nitty-gritty on that stuff, cruise on over to "Form and Meter."

Lines 5-8

My heart is like a rainbow shell
   That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
   Because my love is come to me.

• The similes keep coming. The third comparison describes the speaker's heart like a "rainbow shell." While we've never actually seen one of these before (maybe this is one), rainbows tend to be associated with good times and happy feelings. What's more, this cheerful little shell is having a grand old time "paddl[ing] in a halcyon sea" (6). "Paddl[ing]" suggests a fun, easy-going romp in the water, while "halcyon" means peaceful and happy.
• Mythology and ornithology notes: The word "halcyon" comes to us from a Greek myth, which tells the story of a giant named Alcyoneus who had seven daughters. After Alcyoneus was killed, the daughters were seriously bummed, so they all threw themselves into the sea.
• At the last minute, though, they were magically changed into birds.
• Collectively they were known as the "Alcyonides," from which the word "halcyon" comes.
• And that same word is also a name for the kingfisher bird.
• Some versions of the myth claim that the kingfisher has the magical ability to calm the ocean, which it does in order to build its nest on the peaceful water.
• That's why "halcyon" today means anything that is peaceful, calm, and relaxing. Neat, huh?
• To tie everything up, then, this allusion to the myth lets us know that the speaker's heart is at peace.
• We now return you to your regularly-scheduled poetry analysis.
• So, the speaker's heart is secure, full, at peace—and, somehow, even better (or "gladder") than all of that. She must really be walking on sunshine here.
• Finally, we're told why she's so darn happy: her beloved has arrived.
• We're happy for her, but who is this person? Hopefully we find out in stanza 2…