Neutral Tones Flashcards
“They had fallen from an ash, and were gray”
Hardy uses emotive and melodramatic language creating a sense of deep emotion and a grieving tone which is invoked by the semantic field of gloom and despair, “fallen… ash… gray”.
“Your eyes on me were as eyes that rove”
Hardy uses “eyes that rove” to suggest that his former partner was unfaithful and gives the impression that he feels very bitter about the subject.
“The smile on your mouth was the deadest thing”
Hardy reinforces the theme of deception within the poem, suggesting that the former partner was disingenuous and false towards him. The adjective “deadest” emphasises the ominous tone within the stanza.
“And a pond edged with grayish leaves”
Hardy links this to the start of the poem but instead removing the personal pronoun “we”, making the pond metaphor singular, suggesting that he is beginning to let her go and get over her.
