Whose cheek is this?

The first line of the poem contains the titular question, asked by the first-person speaker. A first-person pronoun does not appear until Line 4, so the speaker initially seems like a disembodied, third-person speaker. The genitive pronoun “whose” implies possession, and it also indicates that the “possessor” is a specific person as opposed to an animal or other object (which would typically take the pronoun “what”). The “cheek,” a very specific part of the human anatomy, offers just a portion or snapshot of the individual. There are various phrases or cliches associated with the cheek: tongue-in-cheek, cheeky, cheek-by-jowl, etc. Since the 1820s, “cheek” was also used to refer to boldness or self-assuredness. If this part of the body is representative of the whole person, then perhaps this person is a forward individual acting against social norms.

In the second line, this personalized possessive pronoun shifts to a more impersonal, objective tone as the speaker begins their next question with “What.” “What” (Line 2) implies a thing or item as opposed to a person. In this sense, the identity of the person mentioned in the first line has been stripped away. Also in this second line, the speaker broadens their view of the figure before them, specifically gazing on the “rosy face” (Line 2). However, “face” (Line 2) can belong to either human, animal, or object, so it is still unclear who or what the speaker exactly looks upon. The descriptor “rosy” (Line 2) refers to a face that is flushed or reddened. This image of a flushed face could refer to feelings of love, to the vigor of youth, or to life in general. On the other hand, “rosy” could likewise refer to the rose flower itself.

This imagery of youth and life contrasts with the next line, where the same figure previously described as flushed with life has now “lost a blush” (Line 3). A “blush” is a physiological response identified by a reddening of the face, and/or neck, which often accompanies a feeling of shame, modesty, or confusion. The fact that the blush is “lost” (Line 3) emphasizes its ability to fade. If the speaker is referring to a human, this indicates that the person’s blood is flowing away from the face, which could indicate that life is leaving the body. Whether this means death or momentary unconsciousness through fainting is unclear. If the speaker looks upon a flower instead, then the “blush” color of the flower fades as the petals wilt and die. The speaker maintains a double meaning through these first three lines, with both subjects equally feasible.

While the speaker remains ungendered, the person or object before them is identified with the objective pronoun “her” (Line 4). The speaker comes upon the person/object “pleiad” (Line 4) in the middle of the woods. This term is set apart from the line’s opening and closing phrases using dashes, indicating its significance and its function as an appositive renaming the preceding “her” (Line 4). “Pleiad” could refer to “any of the Pleiades,” or “a group of usually seven illustrious or brilliant persons or things” (“pleiad.” Merriam-Webster, 2022). The Pleiades were “the seven daughters of Atlas turned into a group of stars in Greek mythology” (“Pleiades.” Merriam-Webster, 2022). The allusion to stars, luster, and brilliance identifies the person/object the speaker stumbles upon as precious and valuable, despite its fading away. If the figure is going against social norms for women (as “cheek” might imply in the opening line), then this allusion to the Pleiades reinforces her social significance despite breaking social codes.

The connection between “her” and “pleiad” (Line 4) might also indicate a flower with seven petals, a flower that has been picked and separated from the other flowers in a field, or to a young girl separated from her family. Either way, the speaker is compelled to take the girl/flower “away” (Line 5) from the “woods” (Line 4), a place of seclusion and danger, to a safe place.

The second stanza begins with the image of a “robin” (Line 6). This bird has a broad spectrum of symbolism and can be “linked to death as well as the arrival of spring and rebirth” (Clifford, Garth C. “Robin Symbolism and Meaning (+Totem, Spirit, & Omens).” World Birds, 24 September 2021). Native Americans saw birds in general as messengers of the gods, spirit guides, or angels, and Europeans saw the robin as a harbinger of storms and danger. Robins live in a variety of habitats, including woodlands (“Robin Symbolism and Meaning (+Totem, Spirit, & Omens).”). The ambiguous symbolic interpretation of the robin coincides with the variable readings of the poem. The characteristic red-feathered chest of the robin also parallels the blushing cheek or petals that catch the speaker’s attention.

The speaker does not see a robin directly before them but recalls the robin from a folktale, part of oral and written “tradition” (Line 6). In the folktale “Two Babes in the Woods,” two children go into the woods where they become lost and disoriented. Unable to find their way out of the woods, they succumb to the elements and die. After they die, “the robins so red / Brought strawberry leaves and over them spread” (“Two Babes in the Woods.” Library of Congress, 1 May 1939). The poem’s speaker alludes to this portion of the folktale here: “Robins, in the tradition / Did cover such with leaves” (Lines 6-7). The speaker’s shift away from direct observation to a folktale allusion might be an attempt to distance from the distressing scene, almost like a defense mechanism.

The remaining lines continue in the strain of the folktale. Imagining the robins covering up the form with leaves, the speaker muses that they cannot differentiate between “the cheek” (Line 8) or “the pall” (Line 9). Because the robins are in the act of covering the form with leaves, readers can deduce that the “cheek” (Line 8) has already lost its flush, become devoid of life, and is now white and pale. Similarly, if it’s a flower, the color has now faded and disappeared. A “pall” (Line 9), when used as a noun, refers to “a square of linen usually stiffened with cardboard that is used to cover the chalice” or a “heavy cloth draped over a coffin” (“pall.” Merriam-Webster, 2022). A chalice in the Christian religious tradition is the cup used to serve wine during Communion at religious services. This reference to “pall” (Line 9) reinforces the person’s/object’s purity, holiness, and preciousness. The “pall” is also the leaves themselves, as they are what the birds utilize as a funereal covering. While the robins with their red chest symbolize the blush of life, here they act as funeral attendants covering a corpse. The indecipherability between the “pall” (Line 9) and the “cheek” (Line 8) indicates that the leaves must be dead and dry as well, empty of any color.

This onset of death, whether literal with the discovery of a girl’s corpse, or metaphorical with the withering of a flower, affects the speaker's ability to scrutinize the situation. “[S]crutiny” is synonymous with close examination or observation. The speaker might be looking closely at what’s before them, but it overwhelms their ability to reason, and they cannot decide what exactly they have witnessed. The speaker's insecurity regarding their senses “deceives” (Line 10) their perception. This deception could derive from a focus on emotion and abstract concepts, such as death, which strains the mental faculties. Because the speaker is stuck in this defense mechanism, their reasoning capabilities have become likewise impaired.