(6) Tree Line
"The Voice" can be an incredibly tricky poem if you don't know anything about Hardy's life (luckily, we've done your homework for you in our "In a Nutshell" section). It can also be tricky cause of how it sounds—the rhythm, the rhymes, the general sound-y-ness of the poem can be overwhelming. It can be hard to see past wacky rhymes like "listlessness" and "wistlessness," and the poem's crazy dactylic tetrameter, to penetrate to its heart. But never fear; Shmoop is here! We take you through the poem nice and slowly ("Detailed Summary") to keep you from faltering and falling like the speaker does.