Summary
The poet and her companion were walking on a pleasant autumn day when they see a black snake that speeds past, intent on catching its prey. The rest of the poem concentrates on the reactions of the poet and her companion. As they stood still taken aback by the sudden appearance of the snake in the grass, the snake slithers away.
Main Subject
The main subject of the poem is the sudden appearance of the snake and the surprised reactions of the poet and her companion. The snake does no harm to the walkers and they in turn do not harm the snake.
Purpose
Apart from being a poet, Judith Wright was also an environmentalist who sought to preserve the natural surroundings in Australia. She cared intensely for the Aboriginal people who lived in close intimacy with nature which the settlers did not. The poem is on the face of it about sudden appearance of the snake but it could also be about the various creatures that lived in Australia and the animal friendly way of life of the aboriginal people.
Emotions
The initial emotion that overtakes the poet and her companion is shock or surprise. They are in no jungle but walking along a grassy patch when they see the snake “reeling by”. Soon this surprise is overtaken by admiration for the perfection of its body, the symmetry of the scales on its surface and the single minded (“fierce intent”) pursuit of its prey.
“Head down, tongue flickering on the trail
he quested through the parting grass,
sun glazed his curves of diamond scale
and we lost breath to see him pass.”
Technique / Craftsmanship
The poem has a tightly controlled structure that does not permit much innovation, but the last stanza gives the poet some leeway. The beginning of the poem describes a peaceful scene when nature is full of the mellow sunshine of autumn, then comes the surprise of finding a snake in their midst. But there is no sudden movement or strong emotion expressed so there is no change in the structure either.
Structure
The poem has four quatrains with a traditional rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef in the first three stanzas but the fourth stanza is ghhg. The change in the last stanza is like the letting out of breath (“We took a deeper breath of day,”) after having unconsciously held it while the snake was around.
Language
The language used is very simple but the imagery is strong making it a visceral poem. The choice of sibilants (“we scarcely thought; still as we stood”) mimics the movements of the snake.
Imagery
The use of strong imagery marks the poem. The opening images are of a balmy day in autumn when there is a “mellow fruitfulness” everywhere. The calm is broken by the sudden arrival of the snake. The picture of the snake in single minded pursuit of its prey, tongue darting as it feels the ground, the grass parting as it moves through are pen pictures which allow us to “see” the event. The poem focuses on the event rather than the narrator allowing us to share in the emotions.
Movement / Rhythm
The rhyme scheme is a simple abab, cdcd, efef and ghhg. The rigidity of the scheme allows the poet to focus on the event rather than on the emotions or the feelings of the poet or blank narrator. Movement of the snake is copied in the movement of the lined. The sibilants evoke a slithering sensation.
Sounds
Alliterative sounds as in “sun glazed his curves of diamond scale”, “we scarcely thought; still as we stood” convey the impression of a slithering movement of the snake as it moved fast over the grass.
Figures of Speech
Through an extended metaphor, the poet tells us of the symbiotic relationship between the snake and man. There is no maudlin talk about the prey or the cruelty of the snake as a hunter but merely an acknowledgement of the sense of purpose behind the movement of the snake.
The poet and her companion were walking on a pleasant autumn day when they see a black snake that speeds past, intent on catching its prey. The rest of the poem concentrates on the reactions of the poet and her companion. As they stood still taken aback by the sudden appearance of the snake in the grass, the snake slithers away.
Main Subject
The main subject of the poem is the sudden appearance of the snake and the surprised reactions of the poet and her companion. The snake does no harm to the walkers and they in turn do not harm the snake.
Purpose
Apart from being a poet, Judith Wright was also an environmentalist who sought to preserve the natural surroundings in Australia. She cared intensely for the Aboriginal people who lived in close intimacy with nature which the settlers did not. The poem is on the face of it about sudden appearance of the snake but it could also be about the various creatures that lived in Australia and the animal friendly way of life of the aboriginal people.
Emotions
The initial emotion that overtakes the poet and her companion is shock or surprise. They are in no jungle but walking along a grassy patch when they see the snake “reeling by”. Soon this surprise is overtaken by admiration for the perfection of its body, the symmetry of the scales on its surface and the single minded (“fierce intent”) pursuit of its prey.
“Head down, tongue flickering on the trail
he quested through the parting grass,
sun glazed his curves of diamond scale
and we lost breath to see him pass.”
Technique / Craftsmanship
The poem has a tightly controlled structure that does not permit much innovation, but the last stanza gives the poet some leeway. The beginning of the poem describes a peaceful scene when nature is full of the mellow sunshine of autumn, then comes the surprise of finding a snake in their midst. But there is no sudden movement or strong emotion expressed so there is no change in the structure either.
Structure
The poem has four quatrains with a traditional rhyme scheme of abab, cdcd, efef in the first three stanzas but the fourth stanza is ghhg. The change in the last stanza is like the letting out of breath (“We took a deeper breath of day,”) after having unconsciously held it while the snake was around.
Language
The language used is very simple but the imagery is strong making it a visceral poem. The choice of sibilants (“we scarcely thought; still as we stood”) mimics the movements of the snake.
Imagery
The use of strong imagery marks the poem. The opening images are of a balmy day in autumn when there is a “mellow fruitfulness” everywhere. The calm is broken by the sudden arrival of the snake. The picture of the snake in single minded pursuit of its prey, tongue darting as it feels the ground, the grass parting as it moves through are pen pictures which allow us to “see” the event. The poem focuses on the event rather than the narrator allowing us to share in the emotions.
Movement / Rhythm
The rhyme scheme is a simple abab, cdcd, efef and ghhg. The rigidity of the scheme allows the poet to focus on the event rather than on the emotions or the feelings of the poet or blank narrator. Movement of the snake is copied in the movement of the lined. The sibilants evoke a slithering sensation.
Sounds
Alliterative sounds as in “sun glazed his curves of diamond scale”, “we scarcely thought; still as we stood” convey the impression of a slithering movement of the snake as it moved fast over the grass.
Figures of Speech
Through an extended metaphor, the poet tells us of the symbiotic relationship between the snake and man. There is no maudlin talk about the prey or the cruelty of the snake as a hunter but merely an acknowledgement of the sense of purpose behind the movement of the snake.
Summary
The poet one evening happens to see farm horses, those powerful shaggy animals working the plough and something jolts his memory and he recalls his earlier fear of these animals. As a child, Edwin Muir lived in the Orkney Islands where animals like Shetland ponies were used regularly as farm animals. As a child, the poet was overwhelmed by their powerful presence especially when seen through the gloaming light of a late afternoon. When the horses pulled the plough in the pouring rain, they seemed like some kind of monsters breathing fire (their steaming breath condensing in the cold air). Their heaving bodies with light bouncing off their sides were a powerful image that scared the child. Suddenly, the poet is aware that those days have gone by and now he filled with a longing to live those untouched pristine days once again.
The poet one evening happens to see farm horses, those powerful shaggy animals working the plough and something jolts his memory and he recalls his earlier fear of these animals. As a child, Edwin Muir lived in the Orkney Islands where animals like Shetland ponies were used regularly as farm animals. As a child, the poet was overwhelmed by their powerful presence especially when seen through the gloaming light of a late afternoon. When the horses pulled the plough in the pouring rain, they seemed like some kind of monsters breathing fire (their steaming breath condensing in the cold air). Their heaving bodies with light bouncing off their sides were a powerful image that scared the child. Suddenly, the poet is aware that those days have gone by and now he filled with a longing to live those untouched pristine days once again.
Main Subject
The main subject of the poem is the farm horses of the poet’s childhood. He was terrified of those huge powerful animals which was an indispensible part of farm life. The poet as a child was terrified of the creatures which seemed to breathe fire as their breaths condensed in the cold dank air of the evening.
“And warm and glowing with mysterious fire That lit their smouldering bodies in the mire.”
But now as a mature that fear has gone but he is left longing for those days once again.
The main subject of the poem is the farm horses of the poet’s childhood. He was terrified of those huge powerful animals which was an indispensible part of farm life. The poet as a child was terrified of the creatures which seemed to breathe fire as their breaths condensed in the cold dank air of the evening.
“And warm and glowing with mysterious fire That lit their smouldering bodies in the mire.”
But now as a mature that fear has gone but he is left longing for those days once again.
Purpose
Edwin Muir spent his childhood in the remote Orkney Islands where ponies and horses like the shaggy Shetland were used to plough the farms. These large animals which looked like some primordial beasts filled the child with awe. Through the image of the horses the poet recalls the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Now when he is a grown man the image of those horses fills him with longing for those unspoilt days again. “And I must pine Again for that dread country crystalline,”
Edwin Muir spent his childhood in the remote Orkney Islands where ponies and horses like the shaggy Shetland were used to plough the farms. These large animals which looked like some primordial beasts filled the child with awe. Through the image of the horses the poet recalls the early days of the Industrial Revolution. Now when he is a grown man the image of those horses fills him with longing for those unspoilt days again. “And I must pine Again for that dread country crystalline,”
Emotions
The poem deals with the reminiscences of childhood days that bring in a train of thoughts flooding into the mind. Soon comes the realisation that those days have gone beyond the pale never to return and one is left with the longing for an innocent yesterday.
The poem deals with the reminiscences of childhood days that bring in a train of thoughts flooding into the mind. Soon comes the realisation that those days have gone beyond the pale never to return and one is left with the longing for an innocent yesterday.
Technique / Craftsmanship
The poem is full of strong imagery of horses that worked in the farms in Orkney Islands. They were large animals that evoked awe in the poet as he saw them returning home after a day’s work in the evening. Their steaming bodies shone in the fading light. The words that Edwin Muir uses have a Romantic ring about them.
The poem is full of strong imagery of horses that worked in the farms in Orkney Islands. They were large animals that evoked awe in the poet as he saw them returning home after a day’s work in the evening. Their steaming bodies shone in the fading light. The words that Edwin Muir uses have a Romantic ring about them.
Structure
Edwin Muir uses a rigid structure of rhyming couplets in the poem. Rhyming couplets do not permit flexibility. The poet more than makes up for it by employing strong images of the workmanlike horses that work in the fields and scare the child by their size.
Edwin Muir uses a rigid structure of rhyming couplets in the poem. Rhyming couplets do not permit flexibility. The poet more than makes up for it by employing strong images of the workmanlike horses that work in the fields and scare the child by their size.
Language
Muir chooses words carefully to convey the images of power, darkness and fear. Words like “bare”, “trod”, “gloam” have the colour of decay and degeneration of nature. The child has been removed from his Garden of Eden of childhood by the destructive forces of time and change.
Muir chooses words carefully to convey the images of power, darkness and fear. Words like “bare”, “trod”, “gloam” have the colour of decay and degeneration of nature. The child has been removed from his Garden of Eden of childhood by the destructive forces of time and change.
Imagery
Powerful images like lumbering horses”, “hooves like pistons in an ancient mill”, “conquering hoofs”, “cruel apocalyptic light” fill the poem bringing to life the images of the powerful horses of the poet’s childhood. Though they terrified him then now he is left with a longing of r those idyllic days of childhood.
Powerful images like lumbering horses”, “hooves like pistons in an ancient mill”, “conquering hoofs”, “cruel apocalyptic light” fill the poem bringing to life the images of the powerful horses of the poet’s childhood. Though they terrified him then now he is left with a longing of r those idyllic days of childhood.
Movement / Rhythm
The tight and rigid rhymed couplet pattern suits the topic with its powerful imagery of large animals with their rhythmic movements, darkness, wetness and fear.
The tight and rigid rhymed couplet pattern suits the topic with its powerful imagery of large animals with their rhythmic movements, darkness, wetness and fear.
Sounds
Alliterative sounds like “gigantic in the gloam” “Ah, now it fades! It fades!” add to the sense of drama and despair the poet feels that the Garden of Eden of his childhood is lost and only memories remain.
Alliterative sounds like “gigantic in the gloam” “Ah, now it fades! It fades!” add to the sense of drama and despair the poet feels that the Garden of Eden of his childhood is lost and only memories remain.
Figures of Speech
Powerful imagery is one of the strengths of the poem. From the “Like magic power on the stony grange” to the “dread country crystalline”, the poem is dotted with metaphors that evoke many emotions in the reader. The animals are fearsome yet they do not threaten, they help man but are “mute ecstatic monsters” that do his bidding.
Powerful imagery is one of the strengths of the poem. From the “Like magic power on the stony grange” to the “dread country crystalline”, the poem is dotted with metaphors that evoke many emotions in the reader. The animals are fearsome yet they do not threaten, they help man but are “mute ecstatic monsters” that do his bidding.
Summary
Allen Curnow is a poet from New Zealand who has contributed much to the recognition of poetry from New Zealand. He trained initially to be a priest like his father but later assailed by doubts turned to journalism instead. He says that his poetry deals with “questions that are always private and unanswerable” Continuum is at first reading a difficult and not easy to understand poem. On one level it is about the poet’s difficulty to sleep, following which he steps out into the porch unaware of the cold outside. Here he spends time watching the moon sailing among the clouds. After some time, he turns back inside and perhaps writes this poem. Part of the difficulty with this poem stems from the way the poet talks about himself as a third person. He goes outside of himself and talks about his encounters with the “author” who is referred to as his adversary.
Critics have opined that read at another level, this poem is about rational and irrational thought, the creation of poetry and writers block and the role played by nature in encouraging poetic inspiration.
Allen Curnow is a poet from New Zealand who has contributed much to the recognition of poetry from New Zealand. He trained initially to be a priest like his father but later assailed by doubts turned to journalism instead. He says that his poetry deals with “questions that are always private and unanswerable” Continuum is at first reading a difficult and not easy to understand poem. On one level it is about the poet’s difficulty to sleep, following which he steps out into the porch unaware of the cold outside. Here he spends time watching the moon sailing among the clouds. After some time, he turns back inside and perhaps writes this poem. Part of the difficulty with this poem stems from the way the poet talks about himself as a third person. He goes outside of himself and talks about his encounters with the “author” who is referred to as his adversary.
Critics have opined that read at another level, this poem is about rational and irrational thought, the creation of poetry and writers block and the role played by nature in encouraging poetic inspiration.
Main Subject
On the phase of it, the main subject is inability to sleep. Not being able to sleep, the poet wanders out into the garden where his thoughts wander. He notices the sun and clouds and later when he feels cold, he comes back into the house and goes to bed, perchance to sleep. There are views expressed by critics that the poem can be read at more levels. Taken like that, the poem is about writers block or the inability to compose poetry.
On the phase of it, the main subject is inability to sleep. Not being able to sleep, the poet wanders out into the garden where his thoughts wander. He notices the sun and clouds and later when he feels cold, he comes back into the house and goes to bed, perchance to sleep. There are views expressed by critics that the poem can be read at more levels. Taken like that, the poem is about writers block or the inability to compose poetry.
Purpose
The purpose of the poem is to highlight the poet’s dilemma of not being able to sleep. He wanders out into the garden, not aware of the cold, falls into a reverie about the moon and the clouds. On the face of it, this is what the poet intends to say. Read on another level the poem’s purpose could be to talk about the tussle between rational thought and the irrational or about poetic imagination.
The purpose of the poem is to highlight the poet’s dilemma of not being able to sleep. He wanders out into the garden, not aware of the cold, falls into a reverie about the moon and the clouds. On the face of it, this is what the poet intends to say. Read on another level the poem’s purpose could be to talk about the tussle between rational thought and the irrational or about poetic imagination.
Emotions
The poet himself appears confused about his emotions. “bright clouds dusted (query) by the moon, one’s mine the other’s an adversary, which may depend on the wind, or something.”
It may be safe to say that the poet is battling contrary feelings about his lack of sleep or lack of poetic inspiration.
The poet himself appears confused about his emotions. “bright clouds dusted (query) by the moon, one’s mine the other’s an adversary, which may depend on the wind, or something.”
It may be safe to say that the poet is battling contrary feelings about his lack of sleep or lack of poetic inspiration.
Technique / Craftsmanship
The lack of enjambment in the poem seems to suggest free flowing thought that hops from one subject to another. The poem is written in conversational tones “Better barefoot it out the front”, yet the natural cadences of the language make it intensely lyrical.
The lack of enjambment in the poem seems to suggest free flowing thought that hops from one subject to another. The poem is written in conversational tones “Better barefoot it out the front”, yet the natural cadences of the language make it intensely lyrical.
Structure
The poem Continuum is marked by a lack of formal structure. The poem has 21 lines but it does not conform to a poetic form. There is no rhyme scheme but only free flowing thought. The language’s natural cadences give it a lyrical tone and tenor.
The poem Continuum is marked by a lack of formal structure. The poem has 21 lines but it does not conform to a poetic form. There is no rhyme scheme but only free flowing thought. The language’s natural cadences give it a lyrical tone and tenor.
Language
There is no employment of poetic diction or classical allusions in this poem. The language used is an everyday workmanlike one. The abstractness comes from the images and the emotions expressed. The poet himself appears confused about his feelings and lack of sleep.
“one’s mine the other’s an adversary, which may depend on the wind, or something.”
There is no employment of poetic diction or classical allusions in this poem. The language used is an everyday workmanlike one. The abstractness comes from the images and the emotions expressed. The poet himself appears confused about his feelings and lack of sleep.
“one’s mine the other’s an adversary, which may depend on the wind, or something.”
Imagery
Continuum has vivid images of the night. The moon is sailing high in the sky and there are scattered clouds trailing the moon. The privets and the palms look ghostly and”washed out” in the moonlight. The chill of the night reaches the readers through these lines:
Not unaccountably the chill of
the planking underfoot rises.
Continuum has vivid images of the night. The moon is sailing high in the sky and there are scattered clouds trailing the moon. The privets and the palms look ghostly and”washed out” in the moonlight. The chill of the night reaches the readers through these lines:
Not unaccountably the chill of
the planking underfoot rises.
Movement / Rhythm
Though there is no rhyme scheme, the natural cadences of the diction the poet employs make the poem lyrical. The beginning of the line “A long moment stretches, the next one is not” uses polysyllabic words but a string of monosyllabic ones towards the end is like a flight cut short suddenly.
Though there is no rhyme scheme, the natural cadences of the diction the poet employs make the poem lyrical. The beginning of the line “A long moment stretches, the next one is not” uses polysyllabic words but a string of monosyllabic ones towards the end is like a flight cut short suddenly.
Sounds
There are no poetic devices to provide sound effects like alliteration or assonance in this poem but the lilting cadences produce an intensely poetic experience for its readers. Reading the poem one can sense the stillness and the almost whispered lines.
There are no poetic devices to provide sound effects like alliteration or assonance in this poem but the lilting cadences produce an intensely poetic experience for its readers. Reading the poem one can sense the stillness and the almost whispered lines.
Figures of Speech
Allen Curnow employs metaphors in Continuum to depict the image of a night sky with the moon riding high trailed by clouds, “bright clouds dusted (query) by the moon”
The lines “for its part the night sky empties the whole of its contents down.”, could mean that the sky or nature is showering inspiration on the poet.
Allen Curnow employs metaphors in Continuum to depict the image of a night sky with the moon riding high trailed by clouds, “bright clouds dusted (query) by the moon”
The lines “for its part the night sky empties the whole of its contents down.”, could mean that the sky or nature is showering inspiration on the poet.
Summary
The poet says in this poem, that we should be thankful to God for all the multi-coloured things that he has given us – things that are freckled, spotted, dappled and chequered. They make life colourful and are proof of God’s infinite creativity.
The blue and white sky, the double coloured cow, the rainbow trout with flashing spots of pink, green and silver are all things that have pied beauty. The chestnut too is beautiful, the way the dark outer shell opens and reveals the red kernel inside as it fall from a height. There is more colour around us; the wings of a finch, and the farms divided into little plots by farmers, some green with crops, some brown where the harvest is over.
In the midst of all this variety, shines one immutable truth, that God is never changing, He is steadfast and permanent and for that we have to “Praise Him”
The poet says in this poem, that we should be thankful to God for all the multi-coloured things that he has given us – things that are freckled, spotted, dappled and chequered. They make life colourful and are proof of God’s infinite creativity.
The blue and white sky, the double coloured cow, the rainbow trout with flashing spots of pink, green and silver are all things that have pied beauty. The chestnut too is beautiful, the way the dark outer shell opens and reveals the red kernel inside as it fall from a height. There is more colour around us; the wings of a finch, and the farms divided into little plots by farmers, some green with crops, some brown where the harvest is over.
In the midst of all this variety, shines one immutable truth, that God is never changing, He is steadfast and permanent and for that we have to “Praise Him”
Main Subject
The main subject of the poem is admiration for the vastness and variety of God’s creation. Though God himself has created so many diverse things, all beautiful, He is permanent, steadfast and never changing. For this, we have to praise him.
The main subject of the poem is admiration for the vastness and variety of God’s creation. Though God himself has created so many diverse things, all beautiful, He is permanent, steadfast and never changing. For this, we have to praise him.
Purpose
The purpose of the poem is to praise the immense creativity of God who remains unchanging and steadfast even though the world He has created ebbs and flows all the time. God has filled the world with beautiful things to delight us but he remains apart from all that.
The purpose of the poem is to praise the immense creativity of God who remains unchanging and steadfast even though the world He has created ebbs and flows all the time. God has filled the world with beautiful things to delight us but he remains apart from all that.
Emotion
As a Catholic priest, Gerard Manley Hopkins was constantly trying to resolve the conflict in his being a priest (who was not moved by beauty) and a poet (who appreciated the beauty of nature that was all around him).
Here in Pied Beauty, He thanks God for filling the world around him with colour and beautiful forms. Everywhere he looks he finds pied beauty – skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim ; finches’ wings. Within the variety, the poet is aware of the unity and permanence of God. Things change on nature, but God is immutable.
As a Catholic priest, Gerard Manley Hopkins was constantly trying to resolve the conflict in his being a priest (who was not moved by beauty) and a poet (who appreciated the beauty of nature that was all around him).
Here in Pied Beauty, He thanks God for filling the world around him with colour and beautiful forms. Everywhere he looks he finds pied beauty – skies of couple-colour as a brinded cow; rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim ; finches’ wings. Within the variety, the poet is aware of the unity and permanence of God. Things change on nature, but God is immutable.
Technique / Craftsmanship
Hopkins was one of the earliest of the Moderns in his experiments with language. He used commonplace words in unusual ways creating his own compound words and verb forms. He used words from Old English and Welsh and gives them a meaning that is his own. He also used punctuations in unusual ways. Hopkins used what he called “sprung rhythm”, a rhythmic structure that had its roots in Anglo- Saxon poetry.
Hopkins was one of the earliest of the Moderns in his experiments with language. He used commonplace words in unusual ways creating his own compound words and verb forms. He used words from Old English and Welsh and gives them a meaning that is his own. He also used punctuations in unusual ways. Hopkins used what he called “sprung rhythm”, a rhythmic structure that had its roots in Anglo- Saxon poetry.
Structure
Pied Beauty is a curtal sonnet, a sonnet which does not follow the traditional 14 line pattern. Hopkins condensed this sonnet into a brief ten and a half lines. The octave is here 6 lines and the sestet, four and a half. Yet the final effect is one of coherence and unity.
Pied Beauty is a curtal sonnet, a sonnet which does not follow the traditional 14 line pattern. Hopkins condensed this sonnet into a brief ten and a half lines. The octave is here 6 lines and the sestet, four and a half. Yet the final effect is one of coherence and unity.
Language
The vigour of Hopkins poetry comes from his use of regular words in unusual ways and words he created when he did not have a word that would convey his meaning precisely. He often used words in their archaic forms. The compound words like couple-colour, Fresh-firecoal, chestnut-falls in Pied Beauty take on a rich colour and meaning lacking in their equivalents.
The vigour of Hopkins poetry comes from his use of regular words in unusual ways and words he created when he did not have a word that would convey his meaning precisely. He often used words in their archaic forms. The compound words like couple-colour, Fresh-firecoal, chestnut-falls in Pied Beauty take on a rich colour and meaning lacking in their equivalents.
Imagery
Pied Beauty is a “ hymn to Creation”. It provides proof why we should be thankful to God and praise him. He has filled the earth with beautiful dappled things for our delight – things like skies of couple-colour, rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim.
The image of the falling chestnut revealing inner ‘moral’ core or its kernel tells us that everything that God creates has a value apart from the beautiful exterior.
Pied Beauty is a “ hymn to Creation”. It provides proof why we should be thankful to God and praise him. He has filled the earth with beautiful dappled things for our delight – things like skies of couple-colour, rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim.
The image of the falling chestnut revealing inner ‘moral’ core or its kernel tells us that everything that God creates has a value apart from the beautiful exterior.
Movement/ Rhythm
Throughout the poem, there is a sense of movement that is sometimes fast:
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
And sometimes jerky: With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
Sprung rhythm produces rich aural patterns that have been much appreciated by later poets.
Throughout the poem, there is a sense of movement that is sometimes fast:
For rose-moles all in stipple upon trout that swim;
And sometimes jerky: With swift, slow; sweet, sour; adazzle, dim;
Sprung rhythm produces rich aural patterns that have been much appreciated by later poets.
Sounds
Pied Beauty is sprinkled with alliterative sounds:
• Line 1: “Glory”, “God”
• Line 2: “Couple-colour” and “cow”
• Line 4: “Fresh-firecoal”, “falls” and “finches’”
• Line 5: “Plotted,” “pieced,” and “plough”; “fold” and “fallow”
• Line 6: “Trades,” “tackle,” and “trim”
• Line 7: “Spare” and “strange”
• Line 8: “Fickle” and “freckled”
Alliteration adds to the sense of movement and rhythm and is a powerful tool in hands of a poet.
Pied Beauty is sprinkled with alliterative sounds:
• Line 1: “Glory”, “God”
• Line 2: “Couple-colour” and “cow”
• Line 4: “Fresh-firecoal”, “falls” and “finches’”
• Line 5: “Plotted,” “pieced,” and “plough”; “fold” and “fallow”
• Line 6: “Trades,” “tackle,” and “trim”
• Line 7: “Spare” and “strange”
• Line 8: “Fickle” and “freckled”
Alliteration adds to the sense of movement and rhythm and is a powerful tool in hands of a poet.
Figures of Speech
The final line has a full metaphor, “fathers-forth” where Gods is considered a father and his creations are all his children. This concept of God being a loving father to his children is common in Christian theology.
Fresh fire-coal chestnut is another metaphor where a falling chestnut is compared to a burning ember that glows red as it falls.
The final line has a full metaphor, “fathers-forth” where Gods is considered a father and his creations are all his children. This concept of God being a loving father to his children is common in Christian theology.
Fresh fire-coal chestnut is another metaphor where a falling chestnut is compared to a burning ember that glows red as it falls.
Summary
The speaker
declares the sight in front of him is the most beautiful one on earth. Unless
you are a person with no sensitivity, you cannot but be moved by this wonderful
vista. This early morning’s beauty is like a vestment that the city drapes
itself in. It is early morning and all is quiet. From where he stands, the
speaker can see the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral and other landmarks
right up to the edge of the city as the air is clear. The speaker is surprised
that at the peace that prevails in the city. It is as though the great city of
London is asleep that beautiful early morning.
Main subject
The main
subject of the poem is the remarkable beauty the speaker witnessed as he gazed
on the city of London while on the Westminster Bridge. The air had a special
quality, there was peace all around and he could see for miles ahead.
Purpose
William
Wordsworth was passing over the Westminster Bridge one early morning and was
captivated by the clarity of the morning, the peace that lay around and the
sight of London as it slumbered before the start of day. It is an unusual sight
that moves him to compose a sonnet in praise of the beauty of London.
Emotions
Wordsworth
was a nature poet and it was unusual for him to write about cities. But this
sight was extraordinary and he is moved by the peace that lay around and the
clear light that let him gaze on this great city. The speaker says that only a
person with a dull soul can remain unmoved by the sight. Speaking in hyperbole
he says that a more beautiful sight that this did not exist on earth.
Craftsmanship/Technique
There is a
spontaneous outpouring of joy and pleasure on seeing the great city of London
bathed in clear early morning light. The mood here is light and it reflects in
the simple but elegant language used. There are no allusions but in simple
terms he describes the unusual beauty. Till the fourth line he does not reveal
the subject of the poem. He then links London with the beauty of nature and its
power to make the city beautiful and ethereal.
Structure
The poem is
a sonnet which is associated with love poetry; it is but natural that Wordsworth
uses this format to describe a scene he loved so much. This poem too has 14
lines and a formal rhyme scheme but like many Romantics, Wordsworth too did not
follow the classical pattern strictly.
Language
There are
several points in the poem where the poet uses lists to elaborate the sight
that attracts him. By using negative language as in “Never did the sun more
beautifully …” “Ne’er saw I, never felt a calm so deep!” the poet is able to
create the impression that the city is superior to every other sight in nature.
By using words like ‘majesty’ and ‘mighty’, he is able to convey the idea of
power of the city as though it is king or an animal like a lion. The ethereal
beauty of the city in the clear light is conjured by words like ‘glideth’,
‘splendour’, ‘glittering’, ‘bright’.
Imagery
The
dominant image in the poem is of the slumbering city that is covered by the
clear morning air as though it is a vestment. The beauty of the morning lights
up the London landmarks making them more beautiful. The poet declared that this
is the most beautiful sight in the whole world.
Movement/Rhythm
Composed
Upon Westminster Bridge is an Italian sonnet though it does not follow the
classical format completely. The rhyme scheme that the poet utilizes is abbaabbacdcdcd.
It is in iambic pentameter which has ten syllables in a line with stressed and
unstressed alternating. This pattern gives a natural rhythm and movement to the
poem.
Sounds
There are
many instances of alliteration in the poem, for example, “houses seem asleep;”
“Never did sun more beautifully steep In his first splendour…”
Figures
of Speech
The whole
scene that the poet surveys is personified and he gives life to the river (“The
river glideth at his own sweet will”), the sun (“Never did sun more beautifully
steep
In his first splendour”) and finally, the whole city (“ This City now doth like a garment wear… “And all that mighty heart is lying still!”) which is said to have a heart.
In his first splendour”) and finally, the whole city (“ This City now doth like a garment wear… “And all that mighty heart is lying still!”) which is said to have a heart.
Readers can
also see an instance of hyperbole when the poet exclaims the “Earth has not
anything to show more fair:”
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