Seeing a blue jay instantly carries the speaker back to a particular woman—someone who would linger in the woods, quietly listening to birdcalls and songs all day. The poem doesn’t explain who she was, but the memory is clearly tender. The hoarse “dear—dear” call and the distant answer feel like a conversation happening just out of reach, which mirrors how memory works: vivid yet incomplete. The flash of blue and the stillness of the forest make the scene both beautiful and slightly lonely. The speaker isn’t just remembering a person, but the kind of attention she gave to the natural world. The mood is dreamy and nostalgic, as if the present moment briefly gives way to a place still enchanted by her presence.
Enchantment — Summary
I never see a blue jay But I think of her; Never hear that hoarse "dear--dear" From a tree-top stir, And the answering call Far, far away, And the flash of azure-- Oh, she would stay Listening in the forest, Loitering through the silence, Hearing calls and singing All the livelong day!