Pale Fire, Canto One Summary

The poem "Pale Fire" begins with a metaphor of Shade as a bird crashing into the reflection in a window pane, but then flying on into the illusory sky. The poem describes images of reflections in a window on a winter night, and the natural winter scene outside. Shade describes a favorite tree from his youth and how it's changed and grown over time.

Shade's house has not changed much, but now the TV antenna rises off the top. The mockingbird used to perch on the weather vane, but now it sits atop the antenna. Shade's parents died when he was a baby, and both studied birds. He is left with only memories, which degrade over time. His old bedroom is a guest room now, where he would pray for his family before going to bed, as...