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What is a summary of "As I Was Walking" by Walter de la Mare?

The poem presents a tongue-in-cheek account of Master Rabbit's overreaction to seeing a human out for a walk. As the poem opens, the narrator, a human, (let's assume he's a man), is enjoying a walk out in nature at the end of a summer day. The man recounts the sights, sounds, and smells that he takes in as he walks: "grasshoppers talking," the smell of roses and thyme, and the amber wings of the linnets as they hop from bush to bush. The narrator then sees a rabbit, whom he dignifies and personifies by calling "Master Rabbit," sitting in the opening of his warren. The conditions are favorable for rabbits that evening, and the narrator implies the rabbit would have liked to sally forth from his den to enjoy the sweet turf that lies beyond. However, seeing the man, Master Rabbit immediately recognizes him as a "foe," and darts back into his hole. The narrator sees a "snowy flit of a scut," that is, the rabbit's tail, as it retreats. But the narrator also hears a "stamp, stamp, stamp!" coming up from underground as Master Rabbit signals a warning to other animals that there is "a Murderer near." The irony is that the man has no intention of doing any harm to the rabbit; his apparent enjoyment of the setting and his respectful manner of addressing the rabbit attest to his lack of animosity. But the rabbit's natural inclination is to view all men as murderers, so there is no potential for either of them to enjoy the other's company or even for them to enjoy the same parcel of nature on this beautiful summer evening. The poem's tone suggests the narrator understands Master Rabbit's fear but perhaps wishes things did not have to be that way.

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