The Darkling Thrush Steaminess Rating

Exactly how steamy is this poem?

G

No sex. Not anywhere. All death and sadness.

…unless, of course, you think that the "germ and birth" was once fertile. Don't get us wrong: Hardy doesn't shy away from scandalous sex scenes. Check out Jude the Obscure for some racy stuff. He's just making sure that we know that sex (and its outcome, birth) is over and done with. It's so last century.