An old well sits unused, its water now tainted. The speaker doesn’t dramatize this; he simply notes it, then recalls a man who once climbed down to clean it. That memory is vivid and strange: the well felt very cold and deep, and in one side there was a queer niche where buckets of bricks and dirt had gathered. The man hauled the debris out, but now the well has been abandoned again. A quiet, slightly eerie mood hangs over these lines. There is a sense of neglect and lost purpose, but also something mysterious about what lies below the surface. The speaker’s tone is reflective, almost wistful, as if the well stands for something that was once tended, then left to spoil. The language is plain and factual, which makes the odd detail of the niche feel quietly haunting.
The Well — Summary
The well is not used now, Its waters are tainted.
I remember there was once a man went down To clean it. He found it very cold and deep, With a queer niche in one of its sides, From which he hauled forth buckets of bricks and dirt.