In Anna Wickham’s short lyric, the speaker describes a loving partnership through building imagery. Her beloved is a mason, and she is the stone he shapes. That might sound controlling at first, but the tone is tender: he quickly fashions a house of his own, and she becomes part of the home they share. The second half shifts to similes from nature. His spirit lives in her the way fish live in water or birds live in trees—not trapped, but completely at home. The word “blithe” matters; it means carefree and happy. So the speaker feels natural, joyful, and secure in this union. The mood is quiet, warm, and settled, as if love has made each person an essential element of the other’s life.
The Man with a Hammer — Summary
My Dear was a mason And I was his stone.
And quick did he fashion A house of his own.
As fish in the waters, As birds in a tree,
So natural and blithe lives His spirit in me.