pattern of unstressed syllables. It is narrated in the first person. The narrator is enjoying a walk at or near twilight by the beach. Theimagery is of an idyllic pastoral scene with the classic elements of the English countryside, including a linnet (a type of finch), herbs growing, roses, and a rabbit. Although the scene appears peaceful to the walker, the rabbit is, of course, terrified to see a human, a potential predator, and dives into its rabbit hole. It thumps loudly to alert other rabbits to the presence of what is, from the rabbit's point of view, a potential murderer.

In this poem the speaker is out for a walk near sunset. The season is mid-to-late summer, for the grasshoppers are making noise and roses are in bloom. Linnets are hopping from bush to bush as he walks. He then sees a rabbit in the mouth of its warren, looking toward the south. The speaker imagines the rabbit is enjoying the smells and the soft grass under its feet. The speaker bemoans the fact that upon seeing him, the rabbit turns and bolts into its hole. The rabbit, the speaker knows, is afraid of him because he is large, human, and an obvious enemy. The speaker believes himself to be a "poor soul" to have such a reputation among animal life. The speaker observes a "snowy flit of a scut," that is, a quick movement of the rabbit's white tail, and then from within the rabbit's warren (labyrinth), the speaker hears the rabbit thumping a danger warning to all other animals within hearing: "stamp, stamp, stamp!" Ironically, the speaker calls himself a "Murderer"; he knows he intended the rabbit no harm, but he understands the rabbit's fearful overreaction. 

(You can see and hear a linnet at the link below and see and hear a rabbit stomping at the other link.)

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.