Thomas Hood

Ruth

Biblical allusion

References the biblical Ruth, a foreign woman gleaning in fields who becomes a key figure in Jewish lineage.

She stood breast-high amidst the corn,
Clasp’d by the golden light of morn;
Like the sweetheart of the sun,
Who many a burning kiss had won.
On her cheek an autumn flush
Deeply ripen’d—such a blush
In the midst of brown was born,
Like red poppies grown with corn.

Sensual natural imagery

Compares woman to landscape, blurring boundaries between human and natural world through color and light.

Round her eyes her tresses fell—
Which were darkest none could tell;
But long lashes veil’d a light
Which had else been all too bright;
And her hat with shady brim
Made her forehead darkly dim:
Thus she stood among the stooks,
Praising God with her sweet looks.
Sure, I said, Heav’n did not mean

Agricultural metaphor

Gleaning was a biblical practice allowing poor workers to collect leftover grain after harvest. Here it becomes a romantic metaphor.

Where I reap thou shouldst but glean:
Lay thy sheaf adown, and come
Share my harvest and my home.

Romantic gaze

The speaker transforms from distant observer to potential lover, offering partnership and protection.

Source Wikipedia Poetry Foundation

Reading Notes

Romantic Rural Transformation

Thomas Hood reimagines the biblical story of Ruth as a moment of potential romantic redemption. The poem transforms agricultural labor into a charged romantic encounter, where gleaning becomes a metaphor for potential social and emotional mobility.

The poem's structure mirrors the biblical narrative's themes of vulnerability and unexpected grace. By presenting the woman as both worker and object of desire, Hood challenges contemporary social boundaries around class and gender.

Poetic Technique: Sensory Landscape

Hood uses synesthetic imagery to blend visual, tactile, and emotional experiences. Colors like autumn flush and golden light create a sensory landscape that humanizes the agricultural scene.

The repeated first and last stanzas create a circular narrative, suggesting both the cyclical nature of harvest and the potential for recurring romantic possibility.