PABLO NERUDA ---------- Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines

5.         

Pablo Neruda is the revolutionary poet of Chile and the most celebrated of Latin American poets. He was a lifelong communist and held many distinguished diplomatic positions in Asia, Spain and France. Like John Keats, Pablo also speaks about sensuous love in his poetry. But his style of narrating love poem is amazingly beautiful. He is like the great Russian poet Alexander Pushkin who composed many famous love poems including “I loved you”. “Tonight I can Write the Saddest Lines” is one of the most celebrated and original of the poems of Neruda. It is a monologue written in a confessional mood, expressing the deep lamentations of a jilted lover. His lost love and its remedy is the theme of the poem. The elements of nature such as the night,  the wind the stars and the darkness remind him of his lost love. The dew falling on green pastures, the twinkling stars in the sky, the music of the wind and the moonlit night are the universal qualities of love which the poet mention in the poem. This love poem of Neruda belongs to you and me. Millions of young men  and women keep this poem to their breast and whisper ‘ it is mine own love poem’ because of the frank confession of the narrator. “She loved me, sometimes and I loved her too”.

The theme of the poem is love, loss of love and how the narrator survives the irreparable loss. There are two types of love, the spiritual love and the sensuous love. Spiritual love is divine and holy. There is neither quarrel nor separation in spiritual love. But here the narrator speaks about his sensuous love which is based on physical and sexual desire. This is why the lover speaks about her bright body, starry, infinite eyes and her sweet voice. He also says that in such nights he used to hold her in his arms and showered kisses on every part of her bright body. The night, the wind and the stars encouraged their love. But sensuous love often breaks and here too the lovers are separated. She becomes  another man’s wife. It is unbearable for the narrator. But he knows the horrible truth that his love is lost for ever. Yet the fire brands of his lost love are still burning like a volcano and the past memories haunt him day and night. This is why he says “Love is so short, forgetting is so long”.

Finally the narrator finds the remedy for the survival. He believes that pen is mightier than the sword. His stubborn decision to kill all the memories of his lost love is declared. He says, “Tonight I can write the saddest lines”. He uses his powerful pen as a sword to make a ritualistic killing of his love for her through these lines of the poem. The narrator believes that ‘the verse falls to his soul like dew to the pasture”. With the  ritualistic killing of his love for her, the narrator can escape from the memories  of  her and it is survival.

1.       “And the verse falls to the soul like  dew to the pasture” - explain

This passage is quoted from Pablo Neruda’s famous love poem titled “Tonight I can Write the Saddest Lines”. The narrator speaks about his love, loss of love and his survival. He wants to escape from the unbearable pain and sufferings from the sweet memories of his lost love. He makes use of poem as his mighty weapon to kill the haunting memories of his lost love. He says that the lines of the poem falls upon his burning soul like dew to pasture. An effective simile is used here to express his emotions.

2.       Consider the universal qualities of the poem – answer 1^st para.

3.       The poem is about love, loss of love and survival – Discuss   answer: 2^nd paragraph of the  essay.

4.       Compare “Tonight I can write the saddest lines” with Alexander Pushkin’s “No Tears”

The narrator of the poem “No Tears” written by Alexander Pushkin is also a love poem with a difference. The narrator learns the death of his lady love in  a far away village. But he does not shed even a drop of tear on his demise because death is a universal truth and it happens to every one including the narrator. But he thinks of her love which was so exciting and deep for him. In his younger days, he was like a mad man only thinking about her love day and night. At that time his heart was like a burning oven and some of the brands are still unextinguished in his loving heart. But in Pablo Neruda’s poem titled “Tonight I can Write the Saddest Lines” the narrator speaks about his love, loss of love and his survival. He wants to escape from the unbearable pain and sufferings from the sweet memories of his lost love. He makes use of poem as his mighty weapon to kill the haunting memories of his lost love. He says that the lines of the poem falls upon his burning soul like dew to green carpeted pasture. An effective simile is used here to express his emotions.

John Donne A Valediction Forbidding Mourning

4.       

John Donne is the most famous metaphysical poet in English literature. His poem “A Valediction Forbidding Mourning is a typical metaphysical one, remarkable for its ingenious comparisons, mockery of the sentiments, display of logical arguments and use of hyperbole. This poem was written by Donne when he was going to France leaving behind his beloved wife Anne More. In this metaphysical poem the narrator glorifies spiritual love which is divine and heavenly. In spiritual love there is no place for grief and sorrow and separation. He compares their farewell to the death of holy man who passes away in peace and love while his friends standing by the death bed argues that he is not dead. Again the narrator tells his wife that they should melt away without any noise. He uses such phrases like noise, tear flood and sigh tempests to mock at personal feelings. Effective use of metaphors is another feature of the poem. They are tear-floods and sigh tempests. Hyperbole is the hallmark of metaphysical poetry. Donne is poking fun at the idea that tears would cause a flood and deep sigh is sufficient to make a tempest.

The lover in the poem uses many logical arguments to console his beloved. Donne secretly married the beautiful daughter of his employer and she was only 16 when he married her. When the narrator is compelled to go to France, he consoles his  beloved lover with many logical arguments. He tells her that they are the high priests of spiritual love and they should not weep or sob because the ordinary lovers will come to  know of  their love. Making noise and sorrow is a sin that they should not do because their love is not ordinary but superior one. Again the narrator tells her that there is a great difference between earthly love (ordinary love) and spiritual love. It is like earthquake and  trepidation of the spheres. Earthquake brings dangers and killing people and animals. But the movement of planets and stars bring peace and music. Ordinary love is based on flesh and five senses. But spiritual love is divine and heavenly. Donne tells his wife that their love is as pure as gold and when gold is hammered over and again, it does not break, but goes on expanding to the air which is invisible. Finally the speaker tells her that they are like ‘stiff twin compasses’ and she sits at the centre waiting for the footsteps of him, when he comes back home to England making a circle which means their spiritual life is perfect and holy.

1.       Explain the conceit employed by Donne in the poem – 1^st paragraph of the essay.

2.       What are the arguments used by the lover to console his beloved? – 2^nd para. Of the essay.

3.       Essay: Discuss the features of metaphysical poetry as evident in Donne’s poem – 1^st & 2^nd para of the essay.

John Keats - La Belle Dame Sans Merci

3.         

        John Keats Is the youngest of the Romantic poets in English literature. He is a sensuous poet who loves the beauty of Nature. He believes that “beauty is truth, truth beauty”. He also says that “A thing of beauty is a joy forever”.  His Odes are the highest expression of his creative genius. Some of his famous Odes are “Ode to a Nightingale”, Ode to Autumn”, Ode on a Grecian Urn”, and “Ode on Melancholy”.  “La Belle Dane Sans Merci” is written in a ballad form.  This ballad tells us an English fairy tale of a knight seduced by a fairy called ‘femme fatale.  Femme fatale represents excessive female sexuality and she always used her charm and beauty to ensnare handsome young men. This is the story of an unfortunate English knight who is entrapped by the beautiful fairy. Ballad is a narrative poem recited by villagers by word of mouth. Ballad usually speaks of war, love and fairy tales. The poem in the form of  a dialogue between the knight at arms and a way farer in the rhyme scheme abab.

There is an autobiographical element in the poem titled “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” written by John Keats. The protagonist Knight-at-arms is the poet himself. Being a poet of love, Keats fell in love with many girls and Fanny Browne is one among them and whom the poet loved much, but she never cared for him. When the poet was on death bed due to tuberculosis, he wanted to see her but she never turned up. This is why the poet calls her “La Belle Dame Sans Merci, comparing her to  the female fairy Femme fatale.

It is winter season and in the extreme cold no creature comes out in the open. But the knight-at-arms is seen wandering near the icy lake and a way farer asks him why he is wandering aimlessly in the cold winter. He also tells him that the summer is over and all the green carpeted meadows disappear in the ice. Even squirrel is in its cave and no bird is flying. The pedestrian wonders why the knight-at-arms is very pale and tired. He also asks the soldier why he is very sad and full of pain.

In reply to  the queries of the pedestrian, the knight at arms tells him his sad tale. Once he met a beautiful young lady on the green carpeted meadows. It was the spring season and everywhere flowers and bushes blossomed and there was bright sunlight. The lady looked like a faery’s child, such beauty she had and her hair was long and foot was light and she had bright starry eyes and he fell in love with her at the first glimpse. He made a garland of flowers and also designed beautiful and sweet smelling bracelets and belt for her waist. She looked at him with love.

He took her on his steed’s back and they galloped over the meadows, hills and valleys and she sang a faery’s song and captivated his heart. She gave him sweet relished food from nature which  include wild roots, wild honey  and manna dew. Finally, she expressed her love to him in a strange musical voice.

The faery’s child took the knight-at-arms to her magical cave and when she wept, he kissed her wild, wild, starry eyes with kisses four. Finally, she sang a sweet lullaby and in its magical effect the soldier fell into sleep.

In his sleep the knight at arms saw horrible dreams. It was full of horror,  pain and sorrow.  In his dream he saw kings, emperors and great men and scholars who are almost dead. They all cried to me in pain that the faery is indeed a blood-sucker, a cheat, a female devil, Femme fatale. In short she is ‘La Belle Dame Sans Merci’ has entrapped the soldier and put him in hell. In the dream, the knight-at-arms witnessed the ‘starved lips’ of the kings and emperors. They all wanted love from her but she cheated them all. When the knight at arms opened his eyes, he saw himself lying helplessly on the cold hill side and it was winter season. The soldier tells the way farer that he is still searching for the sweet lady, because his love for her is deep and sincere. But the lady rejected him and walked to other men to cheat them.

1.       Bring out the images of decay and desolation in the poem

2.       Bring out the significance of the repetition of the words ‘pale’ and ‘wild’ in the poem

3.       Supernatural elements in the poem      (same answer is given for the three questions)

4.       Justify the title of the poem

Among the Romantic poets, S. T. Coleridge and John Keats are very fond of using ‘supernatural elements’ in their poetry. S. T. Coleridge’s poem “Kubla Khan”  and John Keats’s “ La Belle Dame Sans Merci”, “Isabella or the Pot of Basil” are examples.  In La Belle  Dame Sans Merci’, supernatural elements are very skillfully used by  the poet. The knight at arms is entrapped by the beautiful faery’s child Femme fatale. Summer season and winter season are metaphors.  The faery’s child gives the knight at arms wild honey, wild roots and manna dew are foods from Nature. This ballad reflects the sad tale of the poet himself. 

 The title of the poem “La Belle Dame Sans Merci” means beautiful young lady who does not have any sort of kindness or love.   There are autobiographical elements in the poem. The night at arms is poet himself. He meets his girl friend Fanny Browne  and falls in love with her which reflects the summer season of the poet’s life. But winter season creeps on when the poet is bed ridden with the dangerous disease of tuberculosis. The summer and winter are the metaphors used in  the poem. “Misfortune comes not in single but in battalions’ – Shakespeare says. It is true in Keat’s own life. He is rejected by his lady love when his misfortune comes. Keat’s love for Fanny Browne is sincere and true.  The poet uses the terms ‘pale’ and ‘wild’ repeatedly to show his illness and its effects upon his face and body. The poet uses the words “I see a lily on thy brow”. Lily means white flower which means pale face.  Due to  the illness of tuberculosis, the poet is coughing out  blood and mucous and body becomes tired and thin. This is why the images of decay and desolation are repeated in the poem.   Kjt/-

WHEN I CONSIDER HOW MY LIGHT IS SPENT........... John Milton

1.       Consider Milton’s sonnet as crisis poem  - John Milton’s sonnet is a crisis poem because Milton speaks to God Almighty when he is in a crisis. His blindness of eyesight is the most crucial crisis in his life and he does not know what to do. Being a pious devotee of God, and the voracious reader of the Bible, he is really confused. A part of his mind complains to God about the injustice he faces from God. He is a poet and his work needs eyesight. But now his eyesight is denied to him and how can he continue his work when his eyesight is denied to him. Quoting the Bible (the gospel of St.Matthew 13- 30) he argues with God Almighty. Every human being is given a work (talent) by God and if the work is not done, God will punish him/her. The work of John Milton is writing poetry. But he cannot do the work. At that moment, prudence (wisdom) tells Milton that God does not need man’s work because God is all powerful and his empire is universal and infinite. Thousands of angels are always at His beck and call, doing services for God in land, the sea and in heaven. God is full of love and kindness and compassion for all His  children. God knows every creature’s capacity and weakness. God wants only one thing from human beings. This is complete obedience. So Milton should not worry about his work. If the poet is blind, he should not write poem and wait for  his command and will.

2.       Comment on the imagery of the poem. 

John Milton’s sonnet titled “When I consider How my Light is spent” is a thought-provoking poem which reflects Milton’s deep faith and devotion to  the will of God Almighty. Being a Puritan poet, Milton spent his time praising the glory of  God in his poetry.  The word ‘light’ stands for his eyesight. Another inner meaning is ‘wisdom’ or prudence’. The term ‘Talent’  is quoted from the Bible (Gospel of St. Matthew 13-30)

Which means ‘gold coin’ and also another meaning ‘work’ or duty.  According to the Bible, every human being is allotted certain work or duty to do. In our Bhagwat Gita it is called ‘Karma’. ‘The terms ‘Maker’ and ‘Patience’ are personifications. Maker means God Almighty and Patience is the wisdom of the poet’s mind.  ‘Mild yoke’ is another effective imagery which means the burden or silly problems of day  to day life of human beings.

Kjt/- 12-03-2020

William Shakespeare .......... Shall I Compare Thee to a Summer's Day ( sonnet xviii )

Appreciating Poetry  - Second semester of First year B.A. Degree English Core Course

1.      

The narrator in the Sonnet xviii of William Shakespeare compares his beloved to the summer season in Nature. Many defects of summer season are described here. Sometimes rough winds blow heavily and shake the beautiful flowers and buds and spoil them. Sometimes summer days are very hot and unbearable for plants and human beings and animals. Finally, the life span of summer is very short. But in comparison with the summer season, the beloved of the narrator is more handsome and lovelier.

The narrator makes three arguments. He compares his beloved to the beauty of Nature. But time is a villiain and destroys every beautiful and bright thing in Nature. Thirdly his poetry will live longer than his beloved. The life span of summer season is very short and the beloved is like the summer season. So the narrator plans to increase the life span of his beloved. He immortalizes the glory of the beloved through the lines of his poetry. There is an inner meaning to the term ‘line’. It is the meaning of grafting of the branches of two different trees. The beloved is the weaker branch. But when it is grafted with the  branch of his poetry, it becomes stronger than ever before.

 Now the narrator speaks about the cruelties of Time who is always portrayed by Shakespeare as ‘Villain’. Time destroys the beauty of nature and human beings. Young becomes old and create full of wrinkles and dirty looking. Every beautiful flower lost its colour and beauty by the cruelties of Time. Finally time kills all beautiful young men and women. But the narrator wants to prolong the life span of his young handsome man. The narrator says that his poetry will be  read and enjoyed by people all over the world and thereby the unknown handsome young man also be made immortal through his poetry.

 Questions and answers

1.       What is the beloved compared to by the narrator in Shakespeare’s poem?  - In Shakespeare’s Sonnet xviii, the narrator compares the beloved to a summer’s day because in England summer’s days is more beautiful than any other days in winter, autumn or spring. Summer days are the most beautiful days of the year in the cold country. It is during summer days, that flower plants blossom and everywhere green carpeted meadows and hills are seen intoxicating our eyes and minds.

2.       Comment on the imagery in the poem. The narrator in the Sonnet xviii of William Shakespeare titled “Shall I compare thee to a Summer’s Day?”  makes lots of comparisons. The unknown handsome young man who is the beloved of the narrator is more beautiful than a summer’s day which is full of bright sunlight with green carpeted meadows, hills and valleys and bubbling brooks,  and thousands of fragrant flowers and buds. Time is another imagery and the Villain destroys every  beauty of  Nature. But the narrator protects his beloved from the  cruelties of Time by immortalizing him through his poetry which is widely read and be enjoyed by people all over the world. The narrator is confident that as long as his poetry is enjoyed by human beings, his beloved will live for ever.          Kjt/- 10-03-2020

EASTER 1916 ************ Poem ********** W. B. Yeats

Easter 1916                                                                                                        W.B. Yeats

Easter 1916 is the most famous political poem of W.B. Yeats.  It is written to the memory of the fifteen rebels who rose in revolt against the British rule on Easter Monday 1916 in Dublin. He was a great lover of Irish literary Renaissance and the Irish National Theatre. He was also deeply interested in the freedom of Ireland and was drawn into it by John O Leary, the leader of the “Sin Finn” the freedom movement of Ireland. W. B.Yeats had written a poem titled “September 1913” in which he lamented the loss of the “Romantic Ireland” which is dead and gone; it’s with O’Leary in the grave”. This poem greatly inspired the people of Ireland and thus the Easter Rebellion took place. It was a pleasant surprise for the poet and he wrote this poem glorifying the heroic deeds of his countrymen.

Yeats’ poetry is characterized by its intense lyricism, its use of symbolism, its sensuous beauty, precision and realism. Many effective images and symbols are used in the poem such as  “Easter 1916” “All changed, changed utterly, a terrible beauty is born” “rode our winged horse” “motley is worn” “he too has resigned his part in the casual comedy”  “the stone in the midst of all”  “wherever green is worn” “polite meaningless words” are best examples.

  Before the rebellion, the poet had only contempt for the money-grubbing middle class people of Ireland because, the poet thought, they had no interest in the freedom struggle of their motherland. He thought of them mere fools or clowns in a play, making money and gossiping in the night clubs by the fireside. The poet used “polite meaningless words” to please them.  But the poet had to change his opinion after the Easter rebellion. So he wrote Easter 1916 in which he said “ All changed, changed utterly, A terrible beauty is born”.  The transformation is not only beautiful but also tragic and even shocking. It was far beyond his expectations. Every Irishman and woman has changed and become brave soldiers of the freedom struggle, sacrificing everything for their motherland.

In the second stanza of the poem Easter 1916, Yeats mentions the names of the martyrs and national leaders of the freedom struggle of Ireland.  Constance Gore Booth, Patrick Pearse, Thomas MacDonagh and Major John MacBride are the leaders who sacrificed their precious lives on the altar of the freedom struggle.  The sweet voiced lady became shrill voiced with heated political debates when she became a revolutionary.  Patrick Pearse, the president of the provisional Irish Republic is described as the “the one who rode our winged horse”. He was a teacher and a great poet.  Thomas MacDonagh was his helper who led the Dublin Brigade. He was a lecturer and poet. The last man is described with contempt. He is Major John MacBride.  The poet calls him a “a drunken vainglorious lout” because he married poet’s sweet heart Maud Gonne and ill-treated her. Still Yeats gives him a place in the poem only because “he too changed his part and became a freedom-fighter. Here also the poet uses the paradoxical refrain “All changed, changed utterly, a terrible beauty is born”.  At the same time the poet does not praise them blindly. On the other hand, the poet is impartial in his out look.

While narrating the events that lead to the Easter rebellion, Yeats says that the hearts of the Irish people were “enchanted to a stone” and they were all united with one purpose alone. It is the freedom of their motherland-Ireland. They all decided to fight for the freedom of Ireland. It changed the smooth flow of the Irish life. It is compared to a silently flowing river and the stone is suddenly thrown into it, splashing muddy water. The stone symbolizes the united hard work of the rebels. The image of the stone is contrasted with the images of the peaceful, silent stream, the horse, the rider, the birds and the long legged moor hens.

Finally Yeats thinks of the unexpected turn of events. The Easter rebellion was crushed by the British. Yeats says that many years of sufferings can harden the human heart.  Ireland had suffered too long. Only God can tell when their sufferings will be over. Now the Irish motherland is weeping on the death of her brave children. She is sitting beside the dead bodies of her children calling their names one by one. The poet asks himself whether it was a nightmare and he answers that it is not a nightmare but death itself. Yeats again thinks it is a needless death because Britain will keep its promise when the First World War is over. The Irish rebels had a great dream- the freedom of their motherland and they had too much love for their motherland which forced them to die for their country. Yeats declares that the Irish patriots such as Mac Donagh, MacBride, Connoly and Patrick Pears will be remembered for ever by the Irish people. With their death, a terrible beauty is born to Ireland.

Annotate the following:-

Being certain that they and I

But lived where motley is worn:

All changed, changed utterly:

A terrible beauty is born.           Answer: 1^st para & 2^nd paragraph of the essay.

This other man I had dreamed

……………Yet I number him in my song. Ans:1^st & 3^rd para.

The long-legged moor-hens dive

……..The stone in the midst of all.   Ans: 1^st & 4^th para.

No, no, not night but death;

……..For all that’s done and said; Ans. 1^st & 5^th para.

Essay: Discuss Easter 1916 as a patriotic poem.

Kjt/8-12-2012

Julius Caesar Drama ********** William Shakespeare

Julius Caesar

William Shakespeare

1.        Funeral speech of Mark Antony

2.        How does Antony turn the tables on the conspirators at Caesar’s funeral?

When Brutus and other conspirators stabbed Caescar to death, Mark Antony was shocked and frightened with fear. He runs away and took shelter in a safe place. A messenger from Antony comes to Brutus. He tells Brutus that Antony will love and honour Brutus, if Brutus gives him satisfactory explanation of Caesar’s murder.  Brutus agrees to it.  When Antony comes to Brutus, he tells Antony that Caesar was murdered because Brutus and his friends felt sympathy for the poor Romans who are suffering under the tyranny of Caesar. But Brutus and others have no plan to murder Antony.

But the explanation of Brutus does not satisfy Antony because it is not supported by evidence. So Antony asks Brutus why and wherein Caesar was dangerous. But Brutus does not answer the question. So Antony requests Brutus to let him produce Caesar’s dead body at the market place and make a funeral speech as a friend of Caesar. Brutus readily agrees to it. But Cassius opposes it because he knows how clever Antony is! Cassius is sure that Antony will fully exploit the situation to his advantage. Brutus tells Antony that Caesar shall have all true funeral rites and lawful ceremonies. But Antony should not blame the murderers and he can praise Caesar. Brutus asks Antony to prepare the dead boy and follow Brutus and others to market place.

At market place, Brutus speaks first. He says in his funeral speech that his love for Rome was greater than his love for Caesar. That was why he murdered Caesar. As Caesar was ambitious, he murdered him.  He did not want the Romans to live and die as slaves. Brutus was fully aware of Caesar’s good qualities and was ready to praise him for them. But Brutus could not show any evidence to prove that Caesar was tyrant and ambitious. That is the failure of Brutus’ speech. He has no deep insight into the character of the Roman mob.  He thinks that the common people are wise, intelligent and sincere. He does not know that the Roman mob is fickle-minded.

When the speech of Brutus is over, Antony comes up the pulpit.  His speech is full of irony and sarcasm. When Brutus addresses the Roman mob as Romans, countrymen and lovers.  But Antony begins his speech addressing them as friends, Romans and countrymen. Antony indirectly tells them that he is one among them as a friend. He does not show any air of superiority. Antony gives a number of examples to show that Caesar was not ambitious. He says that Brutus and his friends are honourable men and their words are true. But Antony shows evidences that Caesar was not ambitious. That was why Caesar rejected the crown thrice, when Antony offered him.
 kjt/-20-03-2020