Poems Flashcards
When we two parted quotes
“When we two parted In SILENCE AND TEARS, half broken-hearted, To SEVER for years, PALE GREW THY CHEEK and cold, COLDER THY KISS; Truly that hour foretold Sorrow to this.
The DEW of the morning Sunk chill on my BROW- It felt like the WARNING Of what I feel now Thy VOWS are all BROKEN And light is thy fame; I HEAR the name spoken, And share in its SHAME.
They name thee before me, A knell in mine ear; A SHUDDER comes O’ER ME- Why wert thou so dear? They know not I knew thee, Who knew thee TOO WELL- LONG, LONG shall I RUE thee, Too deeply to tell.
In secret we met- In silence I grieve, That THY HEART could forget, THY SPIRIT DECEIVE. If I should meet thee After LONG years, How should I GREET THEE? with SILENCE AND TEARS.
Backstory of when we two parted
Written by LORD BYRON (a romantic)
Had an affair (w lady Webster) and is jealous of her other affair.
Analysis of when we two parted
Cyclical structure w, ‘silence and tears’ to symbolise his continuous grief @ losing her (will never fade) and inability to move on.
Flashback to parting using metaphors within lexical field of death to reflect death of relationship and extreme severing of which he feels grief. ‘Pale grew thy cheek and cold, colder thy kiss’ emphasise her loss of warmth (love) and feeling. ‘Cheek’/‘kiss’ demonstrate physical affection.
Uses nature imagery, ‘dew’ and ‘light’ demonstrate his attempts at a new beginning but still is constantly reminded by loss via senses ‘hear thy name spoken’ ‘chill on my brow’. Present tense shows continuous loss and ‘broken vows’ show loyalty broken despite being an affair in ‘secrecy’.
‘Knell’ (funeral bell) links to death imagery and lovesickness until death.
Demonstrates uncertainty and doubt about long road ahead. ‘Long’ repeated to highlight emptiness of life w/o her.
Love’s philosophy and quotes
The fountains mingle with the RIVER And the rivers with the OCEAN, the winds of HEAVEN mix for EVER With a sweet emotion; Nothing in the world is single; All things by a LAW DIVINE In on another’s being MINGLE Why not I with THINE?
See the MOUNTAINS KISS HIGH HEAVEN And the waves CLASP one another; No sister-flower would be forgiven If it distain’d its brother: And the SUNLIGHT CLASPS THE EARTH, And the MOONBEAMS KISS THE SEA- What are all these kissing worth, If thou kiss not me?
Love’s philosophy backstory
Percy Bysshe Shelley (romantic)
A man seducing a woman but the woman isn’t replying (much like Porphyria’s lover).
Analysis of love’s philosophy
Uses nature imagery hinting at natural love that’s destined, from ‘river’ to the ‘ocean’ reflects his ever growing love for her (overcoming him w strength of love).
Uses words in angelic lexical field to show destined love and connotes eternity/ purity (god wants them to be together)
Uses lexical field of combining to show how nature of love and how things are stronger in pairs (growing strength of water that flows).
Both paragraphs finish with a rhetorical question showing unrequited love.
Puts ‘sunbeams’ and ‘moonlight’ close to demonstrate eternity of love.
Porphyria’s lover w quotes (long af)
The rain set early in to-night, The sullen wind was SOON AWAKE, It TORE the elm-tops down FOR SPITE, And DID ITS WORST to vex the lake: I LISTENED with HEART FIT TO BREAK.
When GLIDED in Porphyria; straight She SHUT THE COLD OUT and the storm, And KNEELED and made the CHEERLESS grate Blaze up, and all the cottage warm; Which done, she rose, and from her form Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl, And laid her SOILED GLOVES by, untied Her hat and let her DAMP HAIR FALL, and, LAST, she sat down by my side And called me. When NO VOICE REPLIED, She PUT my arm ABOUT HER WAIST, And MADE her SMOOTH WHITE SHOULDER BARE, and all her YELLOW HAIR displaced, And, STOOPING, MADE MY CHEEK LIE THERE, and spread, o’er all, her YELLOW HAIR, MURMURING how she loved me- she TOO WEAK, FOR ALL HER HEART’S ENDEAVOUR, TO SET ITS STRUGGLING PASSION FREE FROM PRIDE AND VAINER TIES DISSEVER, And GIVE HERSELF TO ME FOR EVER. But passion sometimes would prevail, Nor could tonight’s gay feast RESTRAIN A sudden thought of one SO PALE For one of her, and all in vain: So, she was come THROUGH WIND AND RAIN. be sure I looked up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew Porphyria WORSHIPPED ME: surprise Made my heart SWELL, AND STILL IT GREW While I debated what to do. That moment she was MINE, MINE, FAIR, Perfectly PURE and good: I found A thing to do, and all her HAIR In one long YELLOW STRING I wound THREE TIMES HER LITTLE THROAT AROUND, And STRANGLED her. No pain felt she; I am QUITE SURE SHE FELT NO PAIN. As a SHUT BUD that holds a bee, I warily opened her lids: AGAIN LAUGHED the blue eyes WITHOUT A STAIN And I untightened next the tress About her neck; her cheek once more BLUSHED BRIGHT beneath my BURNING KISS: I PROPPED HER HEAD UP as before, Only, this time MY SHOULDER BORE Her head, which DROOPS upon it still: The SMILING ROSY LITTLE HEAD, so glad it has its upmost will, That all it scorned at once is fled, And I, its love, am gained instead! Porphyria’s love: she guessed not how Her darling one wish would be heard. And thus we sit together NOW, And ALL NIGHT LONG we have not stirred, And yet God has not said a word!
Backstory of Porphyria’s lover
Written by Robert Browning.
Porphyria is a disease that causes madness.
Tale of unrequited love (love’s philosophy), showing physical side of live in different light (violence and romance).
Explores relationship roles and betrayal.
Also relates to spiritual side of love, God not punishing others.
Analysis of Porphyria’s lover
Uses an unpredictable rhythm throughout the poem, mirroring the lover’s volatility and pathetic fallacy of storm outside.
‘Early’ suggests there’s something wrong with tonight and builds tension, especially w ‘wind… soon awake’ showing predator awake and waiting for prey patiently.
The contrast of loud storm vs ‘listened’ shows silence and so tension. ‘Heart fit to break’ hints that he’s just found out news about lover.
‘Glided’ verb shows lack of concern and so obliviousness of porphyria. Associated w warmth in house (warm w emotion). ‘Kneeled’ and ‘stooping’ connotes submission. ‘Soiled gloves’ hint at lover seeing her as having done impurities.
Length of time to sit down suggests that she has something to hide. ‘Last’ suggests that lover feel low in her priorities. ‘No voice replied’ after her call is a power move and suggests feelings of annoyance/ betrayal. Verbs ‘put’ and ‘made’ suggest she is making all effort in relationship and is dominant.
‘White shoulder bare’ demonstrate purity and physical side of love while her dominance by use of femininity.
Repetition of hair is symbol of femininity so strangling w hair is a symbolism of lover using her femininity (weakness) against her, jealous.
‘Struggling passion’ suggests that she’s trapped in his relationship.
Describes abnormal feeling ‘heart swell, and still it grew’ suggests Cant express feelings and so is overcome by an unhealthy love. Repeats ‘mine’.
Then still looks at her features of beauty, ‘blue eyes without a stain’ as they are preserved and he still doesn’t see her as dead.
He puts her head on his shoulder to demonstrate now her dependence on him (roles reversed).
In death he fixes her state of submission forever, preserving his masculinity and her purity.
Winter swans w quotes
The clouds had GIVEN THEIR ALL-
TWO DAYS OF RAIN and then a BREAK
In which we WALKED,
the WATERLOGGED earth
GULPING FOR BREATH AT OUR FEET
as we SKIRTED the lake, SILENT AND APART,
Until the swans came and stopped us
With a show of TIPPING IN UNISON.
As if rolling weights down their bodies to their heads
They HALVED themselves in the DARK WATER,
ICEBERGS OF WHITE FEATHER, paused before returning again
Like BOATS RIGHTING IN ROUGH WEATHER.
‘THEY MATE FOR LIFE’ you said as they left,
PORCELAIN over the STILLING WATER.i didn’t reply
But as we MOVED ON through the AFTERNOON LIGHT,
SLOW-STEPPING in the lake’s shingle and sand,
I noticed our hands, that had,somehow,
SWUM THE DISTANCE BETWEEN US
and FOLDED, ONE OVER THE OTHER,
LIKE A PAIR OF WINGS SETTLING AFTER FLIGHT.
Backstory of winter swans
Owen Sheers
Modern relationship going through rough patch of separation before getting back together.
Analysis of winter swans
Winter is dormant and cold (emotionless) but moves on to spring which is fresh beginning and growth (reuniting). Uses nature imagery (like love’s philosophy) to demonstrate natural love. Personification of clouds ‘given their all’ relate to lost hope of relationship and connote presence hanging above heads. The ‘two days of rain’ reflect intense fighting, walking verb suggests they are moving apart.
Adjective, ‘waterlogged’ suggested lack of breath in overwhelming relationship (irreparable?), linking to ‘gulping for breath at our feet’ showing their relationship is dying but they are doing nothing about it. ‘Skirting’ the fact it’s dying despite it being such an ominous and imposing presence (the lake).
Using the ‘swans’ (animals who mate for life) shows naturalness of love and connote romance and purity. Referring to them rolling weights demonstrate stresses of relationship being released.
The ‘dark water’ represents uncertainty and suggests that they took risks in their relationship. ‘Icebergs’ connote stability and support but may suggest hidden problems.
The speech breaks the silence, representing a breakthrough in the relationship w communication. Stilling water also implies a calming in the relationship (through rough patch).
‘Slow-stepping’ suggests they are being careful w relationship and ‘swum the distance between us’ shows both making effort to be together yet shows naturally meant to be together.
‘Settling after flight’ shows fight has pushed relationship to new heights.
Neutral tones quotes
We stood by a POND that WINTER day,
And the sun was WHITE, as though CHIDDEN OF GOD,
And a FEW leaves lay on the STARVING SOD;
– They had FALLEN from an ash, and were GRAY.
Your EYES ON ME were as eyes THAT ROVE
Over TEDIOUS RIDDLES OF YEARS AGO;
And some words played between us TO AND FRO
On which LOST THE MORE BY OUR LOVE.
The SMILE ON YOUR MOUTH was the DEADEST THING
ALIVE ENOUGH to have STRENGTH TO DIE;
And a GRIN OF BITTERNESS SWEPT thereby
Like an OMINOUS BIRD A-WING…
Since then, KEEN lessons that LOVE DECEIVES,
And WRINGS WITH WRONG, have shaped to me
Your face, and the GOD-CURST SUN, and a tree,
And a POND edged with GREYISH LEAVES.
Backstory of neutral tones
Thomas hardy was a writer in the time of the industrial revolution.
Pessimist and fear/dislike of change.
Mentions nature.
Analysis of neutral tones
The title suggests a bore, dullness and passivity to relationship.
To be ‘stood’ by the pond suggests lack of movement forwards in relationship (stagnation) linking to small, unmoving body of water (‘pond’). ‘Winter day’ shows pathetic fallacy as the relationship is cold/icy.
The ‘white’ sun connotes heavenliness and purity, linking to morals of relationship. ‘Chidden of God’ shows that they have been forbidden of something (‘Adam and eve?’) and perhaps represents image of society’s judgments.
A ‘few’ leaves suggests sparsity/lack of life in relationship leading to their laying on the ‘starving sod’ deprived of warmth and life yet linking to ‘sod’ and its naturalness of death.
‘Fallen’ May hint they have both failed in relationship, past tense showing irreversibility
‘Eyes on me’ demonstrates accusations/blame linking to ‘eyes that rove’ suggesting they are searching for a cause as to why relationship has ended. ‘Tedious riddles of long ago’ suggests ongoing,unintelligible grudges. ‘To and fro’ suggests shifting of blame.
They speak of ‘who lost the more by our love’ in past showing brokenness and regrets of their love (mistake/tragedy).
‘Smile on your mouth’ seems absurd in midst of bleak context, shedding a sinister light and lack of ability to convey love. Intensifier in ‘deadest thing’ shows many other things are also dead and ‘thing’ shows inanimate love. ‘Alive enough’ shows the fragmented remnants of the relationship enabling to have ‘strength to die’ showing mutual want of end to their love.
‘Grin of bitterness’ shows spite within juxtaposition.
‘Lessons’ that ‘love deceives’ (alliteration) shows he now can’t trust others as he used to, impact on life.
Alliteration, ‘wrings with wrong’ shows that it’s soaked in immorality w a caesura showing healing time.
‘God-curst sun’ has escalated from being ‘chidden’ showing pessimism accumulated through ending of the relationship, feeling doom and inevitability of the love to fail.
Cyclical structure mentioning ‘pond’ at end.
