"The Darkling Thrush" is a poem by Thomas Hardy. Originally titled "By the Century's Deathbed", it was first published on 29 December 1900 in The Graphic. The poem was later published in London Times on 1 January, 1901. A deleted '1899' on the poem's manuscript suggests that it may have been written in that year. It was later included in a collection entitled Poems of the Past and the Present (1901). Its musing tone, use of natural imagery to create and represent human moods and feelings, and the simple rhyme scheme are unobtrusive and powerful.