The speaker lives in a damp, unstable house in Hampstead that stands on London clay and trembles whenever she moves. She half-jokes that it might fall down on her one day, and the opening feels uneasy, even precarious. But then she turns to the window, and the mood changes. Outside is an apple tree, spring flowers, and a blackbird singing high in the branches. The bird’s song is so absorbing that she forgets how close she is to grey London. The house may be unreliable, but the view offers a private, almost rural refuge. The mood is tender and quietly grateful: a small patch of nature makes an imperfect home feel magical and shelters her from the city. The contrast between the shaky house and the steady, singing tree is the heart of the poem.
A House in Hampstead — Summary
My house is damp as damp can be, It stands on London clay. And if I move unthinkingly It shakes in a most alarming way. Mayhap it will all come down on me One day.
But through the window I can see The most enchanting apple-tree. In spring-time, there are daffodils And primroses on little hills, And high within my apple-tree A blackbird comes and sings to me; On the black branch he sits and sings Of birds and nests and eggs and things.
I can't remember, as I hear, That old grey London lies so near.