Read for the first time, this is a gentle, affectionate address to a small black bird. The speaker talks to it directly, repeating its name at the start of each stanza like a soft refrain, and each time adds a new picture: wings "of void," a long tail, a black perch, a place on the earth. The bird seems to belong to both night and day. It flies into the dark on feathers coated in silver, then dances through daylight until it finds a mate.
The speaker's feeling is simple fondness, even a kind of blessing. They tell the bird to fly, dance and sing, as if wishing it a full, free life. The last lines call it "ever so sweet," which makes the warmth clear. The mood is quiet, lullaby-like and a little wistful. The phrases "until forever" and "until time has gone" suggest the speaker wants the bird's song to last beyond ordinary time.