Poem collection

Poetry is by Niyi Osundare

Poetry Is
Not the esoteric whisper
of an excluding tongue
Not a clap trap
for a wondering audience
Not a learned quiz
entombed in Grecoroman lore

Poetry is
A lifespring
which gathers timbre
the more throats it plucks
harbinger of action
the more minds it stirs

Poetry Is
No oracles kernel
for sole philosopher's stone

Poetry
Is
Man
Making
Meaning
To
Man.

Poems

Raindrum

The roofs sizzle at the waking touch,

talkative like kettledrums
tightened by the iron fingers of drought

Streets break into liquid dance

gathering legs in the orchestra of the road
Streets break into liquid dance
gliding eloquently down the apron of the sky

A stray drop saunters down the thatch

of my remembrance
waking memories long dormant
under the dry leaves of time:

of caked riverbeds
and browned pastures
of baking noons
and grilling nights
of earless cornfields
and tired tubers
Then
Lightning strikes its match of rain
Barefoot, we tread the throbbing earth.

Renewed

Niyi Osundare

POEM ANALYSIS
Analysis of "Raindrum" by Niyi Osundare, a prominent Nigerian poet known for his
accessible, rhythmic, and socially conscious verse. This poem reflects Osundare’s
deep connection with nature, oral traditions, and the African landscape.
The title is a compound of "rain" and "drum", evoking the sound of rain on surfaces
—especially roofs—as rhythmic, musical, and life-giving. It foreshadows the fusion
of natural phenomena and human cultural expression, particularly African drumming
traditions.

Themes
1. Nature and Renewal
The poem celebrates the arrival of rain after a period of drought. Rain is
portrayed not only as a natural event but as a source of spiritual and
environmental renewal:
> "Lightning strikes its match of rain / Barefoot, we tread the throbbing earth. /
Renewed"
2. Memory and Time
Rain awakens buried memories of hardship:
> "A stray drop saunters down the thatch / of my remembrance / waking memories long
dormant / under the dry leaves of time"
3. Drought and Hardship
The contrast between drought and rainfall is stark and emotional. Images of "caked
riverbeds", "brOwned pastures", and "earless cornfields" evoke suffering, hunger,
and environmental degradation.
4. African Identity and Oral Tradition
The poem’s rhythm, repetition, and musicality echo African oral traditions. Words
like "talkative like kettledrums" connect nature to traditional instruments,
grounding the poem in cultural identity.

Imagery and Language

Auditory imagery dominates:
"The roofs sizzle", "talkative like kettledrums", "orchestra of the road"
These lines turn the rainstorm into a performance, rich in sound and motion.
Kinesthetic imagery:
> "Streets break into liquid dance", "gliding eloquently", "we tread the throbbing
earth"
Movement pervades the poem, emphasizing energy and transformation.

Personification:
> "A stray drop saunters", "Lightning strikes its match"
These give life and intention to natural elements, intensifying the reader’s
emotional connection.

Structure and Form

Free verse allows for natural, flowing expression—much like rain itself.
Repetition (especially of the stanza "Streets break into liquid dance...")
reinforces the rhythm and emphasizes the transformative power of rain.
Enjambment reflects the continuity of rain and thought, while short, punctuated
phrases emphasize intensity and drama.

Symbolism
Rain symbolizes healing, memory, and rebirth.
Drum as metaphor implies rhythm, communication, and celebration—core elements in
many African societies.
Drought imagery symbolizes struggle, stagnation, and suffering.

Tone and Mood

The tone moves from reflective and nostalgic to joyful and rejuvenated.
The mood transitions from dry and somber to hopeful and vibrant, mirroring the
shift from drought to rain.

The World Is Too Much With Us

The world is too much with us; late and soon,

Getting and spending, we lay waste our powers;-
Little we see in Nature that is ours;
We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!
This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon:
The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;
For this, for everything, we are out of tune;
It moves us not. Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,
Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn:;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathed horn.

Analysis
The speaker begins The World is Too Much With Us with the term "the world" and the
reader quickly begins to understand what that term means in this context. He is
talking about the worldly cares and concerns such as money, possessions, and power.
And he concludes that it is "too much with us" meaning that we care far too much
about these worldly things. He gives more depth of thought to this idea when he
suggests that by using our time, minds,and energy in "getting and spending" that we
"lay waste our powers". In other words, people have powers beyond that which they
have tapped into, because they are so busy getting and
spending. They are tied up in their greed for more money and their time is
accounted for by their actions of getting money, spending money, and caring for
their possessions. He believes that money and worldly possessions are far more
important to people than they should be. He continues,

“Little we see in Nature that is ours;

We have given our hearts away, a sordid boon!"
In these lines, the speaker contrasts Nature with "The World". He reveals
that while people spend their time in acquiring worldly possessions, the true
beauty of the earth cannot be owned. He reveals that very few things that people
see in Nature actually belong to them. He then laments, "We have given our hearts
away". He believes that where we should enjoy nature, though it is not ours to own,
instead we are filled with greed and we acquire wealth and worldly possessions
rather than enjoying nature. The speaker then continues by describing the beauties
of nature that people are missing out on by being so caught up in the want for
money and possessions.

«This Sea that bares her bosom to the moon;

The winds that will be howling at all hours,
And are up-gathered now like sleeping flowers;"
In these lines of The World is Too Much With Us, the speaker describes the beauties
of nature that most people are missing out on. He describes the sea, and the wind,
and the flowers. His description of these parts of nature use Personification to
help the reader to connect with each description. The sea bares her bosom to the
moon" which suggests an
intimacy between the moon and the sea. The winds "howl". This gives the wind human
emotion. The flowers "sleep". Giving these parts of nature human attributes helps
the reader to feel this connection with nature. It paints a picture of nature and
allows the reader to understand what he is missing out on by being caught up in
worldly possessions
greed

<For this, for everything, we are out of tune;

It moves us not. Great God! I'd rather be
A Pagan suckled in a creed outworn;
These lines are the speakers final exclamation that "we are out of tune" with
nature because we are so caught up in worldly wealth. Here, the speaker swears an
oath that he would rather be a poor pagan than be so distracted by worldly wealth
so as to render himself unable to enjoy the true beauties of life. He appeals to
God, and even exclaims that he would rather be a pagan than to be out of touch with
nature.

“So might I, standing on this pleasant lea,

Have glimpses that would make me less forlorn;
Have sight of Proteus rising from the sea;
Or hear old Triton blow his wreathèd horn."
In these final lines, the speaker reveals that if he were a poor pagan, he would
have "glimpses" of nature that would give him joy and hope, or at least make him
feel "less forlorn". He would rather be poor and helpless and connected with nature
than rich and powerful and alienated from it.
In the final two lines, he refers to two pagan gods. Proteus was thought to be able
to tell the future, though he avoided doing so if he could. The speaker implies
that had he been a pagan, perhaps he could imagine being in touch with Proteus, or
at least catching a glimpse of him as he stares out across the sea. Triton was the
pagan god that was said to be able to calm the waves of the sea. This implies that
the speaker looks out at the sea, enjoying nature, long enough to see Triton and
Proteus. The speaker refers to these two pagan gods after he first appeals to God
and swears that he would rather be a pagan than alienated from nature.

"The world is too much with us" is an Italian sonnet, also known as a Petrarchan
sonnet (named after Franceso Petrarca, the Italian
Rernaissance poet who popularized the form). These sonnets include an octave (two
quatrains, or four-line stanzas) and a sestet (two tercets, or three-line stanzas).
The first stanza presents a theme or problem, and the second stanza develops the
theme or suggests a solution to the problem.

JOHN DONNE
The Sun Rising

Busy old fool, unruly sun,

Why dost thou thus,
Through windows, and through curtains call on us?
Must to thy motions lovers' seasons run?
Saucy pedantic wretch, go chide
Late school boys and sour prentices,
Go tell court huntsmen that the king will ride,
Call country ants to harvest offices,
Love, all alike, no season knows nor clime,
Nor hours, days, months, which are the rags of time.

Thy beams, so reverend and strong

Why shouldst thou think?
I could eclipse and cloud them with a wink,
But that I would not lose her sight so long;
If her eyes have not blinded thine,
Look, and tomorrow late, tell me,
Whether both th' Indias of spice and mine
Be where thou leftst them, or lie here with me.
Ask for those kings whom thou saw'st yesterday,
And thou shalt hear, All here in one bed lay.

She's all states, and all princes, I,

Nothing else is.
Princes do but play us; compared to this,
All honor's mimic, all wealth alchemy.
Thou, sun, art half as happy as we,
In that the world's contracted thus.
Thine age asks ease, and since thy duties be
To warm the world, that's done in warming us.
Shine here to us, and thou art everywhere;
This bed thy center is, these walls, thy sphere.

Analysis of The Sun Rising by John Donne

John Donne’s The Sun Rising is a metaphysical poem that blends passionate love with
philosophical wit, challenging conventional notions of time, space, and power.
Here's a breakdown of its meaning and key elements:

1. Overview and Theme

The poem is a dramatic monologue addressed to the sun, where the speaker — lying in
bed with his lover — scolds the sun for disturbing their romantic moment. The
central theme is the transcendence of love over time, authority, and the physical
world. Donne elevates romantic love above all external forces.

2. Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
First Stanza:
> “Busy old fool, unruly sun...”
Tone: Mocking and bold. The speaker insults the sun, calling it a "busy old fool"
for interrupting the lovers.
Conflict: The sun’s intrusion symbolizes how time and routine disrupt private,
intimate moments.
Metaphysical Conceit: Donne uses the idea that lovers should not be governed by
time (“lovers’ seasons”), suggesting that love exists outside normal temporal
bounds.
Second Stanza:
> “Thy beams, so reverend and strong...”
Irony and Wit: The speaker claims he could block out the sun with a wink but
chooses not to because he doesn’t want to stop looking at his beloved.
Hyperbole: The exaggeration that all the wealth of the East ("th’ Indias of spice
and mine") and the great kings are present in his bed emphasizes how all value and
power are contained in their love.
Philosophical Reversal: Instead of the world being large and far-flung, everything
important is now in one place — their bed.
Third Stanza:
> “She’s all states, and all princes, I...”
Bold Metaphor: The woman is compared to all countries ("states") and the speaker to
all rulers, asserting that their love is a microcosm of the world.
Critique of Power and Wealth: Political power and material wealth are mere
illusions ("mimic" and "alchemy") compared to true love.
The sun should stop its journey around the world and simply shine on them, because
their love encompasses the entire universe. Their bed becomes the "center" of the
cosmos.

3. Language and Style

Metaphysical Conceit: Elaborate, intellectual comparisons (e.g., bed = world,
lovers = all states and princes).
Tone: Intimate, arrogant, witty, and reflective.
Imagery: Light, time, global geography, and politics are used to magnify the
experience of love.
Structure: Three stanzas of ten lines, with a consistent metrical rhythm and
irregular rhyme.

4. Deeper Meanings
Time and Eternity: Love is presented as eternal and unaffected by time.
The Power of Love: Romantic love is depicted as more potent than the sun, kings, or
empires.
Perspective Shift: The poem subverts the idea that the sun is the center of the
universe, replacing it with the lovers’ bed.

Sonnet 19 John Milton (1651-1655)

When I consider how my light is spent,

E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,
And that one Talent which is death to hide,
Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent
To serve therewith my Maker, and present [ 5]
My true account, least he returning chide,
Doth God exact day labour, light deny'd,
I fondly ask; But patience to prevent
That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need
Either man's work or his own gifts, who best [10]
Bear his milde yoak, they serve him best, his State
Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed
And post o're Land and Ocean without rest:
They also serve who only stand and waite.

Structure and Form

Type: Italian (Petrarchan) sonnet.
Rhyme scheme: ABBA ABBA CDE CDE.
Meter: Iambic pentameter.
The sonnet is structured in two parts: an octave (first 8 lines) presenting a
problem, and a sestet (final 6 lines) offering resolution or insight.

Line-by-Line Analysis
1. "When I consider how my light is spent,"
"Light" symbolizes sight and perhaps also life or talent. Milton is reflecting on
the loss of his vision.
2. "E're half my days, in this dark world and wide,"
He laments losing his sight early in life ("ere half my days") and describes the
world as “dark” both literally and spiritually.
3. "And that one Talent which is death to hide,"
A reference to the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14–30). "Talent" represents a
God-given gift (in Milton’s case, poetic ability). Hiding it is sinful.
4. "Lodg'd with me useless, though my Soul more bent"
His talent is now "lodged" uselessly within him due to blindness, although his
desire to use it in service of God has grown stronger.
5. "To serve therewith my Maker, and present"
He wants to serve God through his writing and offer an account of his life and
efforts.
6. "My true account, least he returning chide,"
He's worried about being rebuked by God for not using his talents.
7. "Doth God exact day-labour, light denied?"
He questions: Does God demand work from those He has disabled?
8. "I fondly ask; but Patience to prevent"
The speaker admits this is a foolish question. "Patience" personified, interrupts
to offer wisdom.
9. "That murmur, soon replies, God doth not need"
Patience says God does not require labor or talent to be fulfilled.
10. "Either man’s work or his own gifts; who best"
The value of a person is not in productivity, but in acceptance and faithfulness.
11. "Bear his mild yoke, they serve him best. His state"
Those who patiently accept God's will serve Him best. His dominion is kingly,
sovereign.
12–14. "Is Kingly. Thousands at his bidding speed / And post o'er land and ocean
without rest: / They also serve who only stand and wait."
Some serve actively (traveling and working), but others—like the blind poet—serve
equally well by faithfully waiting and bearing their burdens.

Themes
1. Faith and Obedience: True service to God is not always through action but also
through acceptance and patience.
2. Blindness and Disability: Milton uses his blindness as a lens to question how
one can be useful to God without physical ability.
3. The Nature of Divine Service: God values devotion over deeds; purpose can be
fulfilled in stillness as well as action.
4. Human Limitation vs. Divine Will: The poem explores how humans submit to the
divine plan, even when it seems unjust or unclear.

Lord Randall(Anonymous)

"Oh where ha'e ye been, Lord

Randall my son?
O where ha'e ye been, my handsome
young man?"
"I hae been to the wild wood:
mother, make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and
fain wald lie down."
"Where gat ye your dinner, Lord
Randall my son?
Where gat ye your dinner, my
handsome young man?"
"I dined wi' my true love; mother,
make my bed
Soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and
fain wald lie down."
"What gat ye to your dinner, Lord
Randall my son?
What gat ye to your dinner, my
handsome young man?"
"I gat eels boiled in broo: mother,
make my bed soon,
For I'm weary wi' hunting, and
fain wald lie down."
"What became of your
bloodhounds, Lord Randall my
son?
What became of your bloodhounds,
my handsome young man?"
"O they swelled and they died:
mother, make my bed soon,
for I'm weary wi hunting, and fain
wald lie down."
"OI fear ye are poisoned, Lord
Randall my son!
mother, make my bed soon,
for I'm weary wi' hunting, and fain
wald lie down."
"O I fear ye are poisoned, Lord
Randall my son!
OI fear ye are poisoned, my
handsome young man!"
"O yes, I am poisoned: mother,
make my bed soon,
For I'm sick at the heart, and I fain
wald lie down."

Analysis of the traditional ballad “Lord Randall” (Anonymous

“Lord Randall” is a classic folk ballad that tells a tragic story through a
dialogue between a mother and her son, Lord Randall. The son returns home weary and
sick after a hunting trip, and the mother’s questions gradually reveal that he has
been poisoned by his lover. The poem captures themes of betrayal, death, and
foreboding, using simple and repetitive language for emotional impact.

Structure
The poem is a dialogue between mother and son.
It has a repetitive, question-and-answer format.
The rhythm and rhyme resemble traditional ballads, making it easy to remember and
recite.

Themes
1. Betrayal and Deception
Lord Randall’s “true love” has poisoned him, showing a tragic betrayal.
The theme of deceit in relationships is central.
2. Death and Mortality
The repeated references to weariness, sickness, and the dying bloodhounds
foreshadow Lord Randall’s death.
The poem highlights how death can come suddenly and unexpectedly.
3. Suspense and Foreboding
The mother’s repeated questions build tension.
The gradual revelation of poison creates a sense of dread.
4. Family and Concern
The mother’s worry and care contrasts with the son’s silent suffering.
The poem emphasizes familial bonds and the pain of impending loss.

Imagery and Symbols

Hunting: Symbolizes Lord Randall’s outing but also serves as a metaphor for danger
and pursuit.
Eels boiled in broth: The poisoned meal; eels can symbolize something slippery or
dangerous.
Bloodhounds swelling and dying: Symbolizes the widespread fatal effect of the
poison — if even the dogs die, it’s a grim sign.
Bed: Repeatedly asking the mother to make the bed symbolizes preparing for death or
rest in peace.

Tone and Mood

Tone: Quiet, mournful, increasingly tense.
Mood: Foreboding, tragic, eerie.

Language and Style

Simple, repetitive language emphasizes the ballad’s oral tradition.
The repetitive refrain “mother, make my bed soon, / For I’m weary wi’ hunting, and
fain wald lie down” echoes the inevitability of death.
The dialogue style creates immediacy and intimacy.

Night by Wole Soyinka

Your hand is heavy, Night, upon my brow.

I bear no heart mercuric like the clouds,
to dare.
Exacerbation from your subtle plough.
Woman as a clam, on the sea's cresent.
I saw your jealous eye quench the sea's
Flouorescence, dance on the pulse incessant
Of the waves. And I stood, drained
Submitting like the sands, blood and brine
Coursing to the roots. Night, you rained
Serrated shadows through dank leaves
Till, bathed in warm suffusion of your dappled cells
Sensations pained me, faceless, silent as night
thieves.
Hide me now, when night children haunt the earth
I must hear none! These misted cells will yet
Undo me; naked, unbidden, at Night's muted birth

Analysis of "Night" by Wole Soyinka

In "Night," Soyinka personifies Night as an overwhelming, powerful, almost invasive
force. The speaker is emotionally exposed and psychologically vulnerable, caught in
a moment where natural imagery reflects intense inner conflict. The poem is
lyrical, symbolic, and introspective, blending personal experience with broader
existential and possibly cultural implications.

Themes
1. Night as a Force of Oppression
The speaker feels burdened and subdued by Night’s presence — “Your hand is heavy,
Night, upon my brow.”
Night becomes a living entity, both beautiful and threatening.
2. Emotional and Psychological Vulnerability
The speaker's heart is not “mercuric like the clouds” — meaning he lacks emotional
resilience or adaptability.
There is a struggle between submission and resistance, especially as darkness
brings haunting sensations.
3. Nature and the Self
The sea, sands, leaves, and shadows are not just natural elements — they
represent the speaker’s body, memory, and suffering.
The speaker becomes one with nature, but passively — “submitting like the sands.”
4. Fear and Isolation
The plea to “hide me now” and escape “night children” suggests fear of the
subconscious, spirits, or traumatic memories.
There is also a spiritual undertone — a desire to be protected from haunting
internal or external forces.

Imagery and Symbols

“Mercuric heart”: Symbolizes emotional agility or changeability; the speaker lacks
this, making him vulnerable.
“Subtle plough”: Suggests Night quietly but deeply disturbs the speaker’s emotional
soil.
“Woman as a clam”: Possibly a symbol of silence, mystery, or hidden emotional
truths.
“Jealous eye quench[ing] the sea’s fluorescence”: Night kills the beauty or
vitality of nature — maybe symbolic of loss of joy or inspiration.
“Blood and brine coursing to the roots”: A visceral image connecting body and
earth, pain and nature.
“Serrated shadows”: Sharp, painful memories or experiences slicing through the
speaker’s peace.
“Dappled cells” and “misted cells”: Ambiguous; may refer to cells of the body,
cells of confinement, or even cosmic structures.

Tone and Mood

Tone: Introspective, uneasy, and at times desperate. The speaker seems overwhelmed
by emotion, by Night’s weight.
Mood: Heavy, oppressive, dreamlike but unsettling. It evokes the atmosphere of a
nightmare or emotional breakdown.

Structure and Style

Free verse: No fixed meter or rhyme, which mirrors the speaker’s emotional
turbulence.
Syntax and Flow: Sentences often flow into one another with enjambment,
contributing to a sense of mental disarray or breathlessness.
Dense imagery: Rich and compact, demanding close attention and layered
interpretation.

Possible Interpretations
1. Personal Emotional Crisis: The poem may reflect the speaker’s internal collapse,
using Night as a metaphor for depression or trauma.
2. Existential or Spiritual Crisis: Night could represent the unknown, the fear of
mortality, or a dark spiritual force.
3. Postcolonial Reading: Some interpretations see Night as symbolizing the legacy
of colonialism or identity crisis in a postcolonial context — haunting, paralyzing,
and intrusive.

John Pepper Clark

Night Rain

What time of night it is

I do not know
Except that like some fish
Doped out of the deep
I have bobbed up belly wise
From stream of sleep
And no cock crow
It is drumming hard here
And I suppose everywhere
Droning with insistent ardor upon
Our roof thatch and shed
And through sheaves slit open
To lightning and rafters
I cannot quite make out over head
Great water drops are dribbling
Falling like orange and mango
Fruits showered forth in the wind
Or perhaps I should say so
Much like beads I could in prayer tell
Then on string as they break
In wooden bowls and earthenware
Mother is busy now deploying
About our room let an floor
Although, it is so bad
I know her practiced step as
She moves her bins, bags and vats
Out of the run of water
That like ants filling out of the wood
Will scatter and gain possession
Of the floor. Do no tremble then
But, turn brothers, turn upon your side
Of your loosening mats
To where the others lie.
We have drunk tonight of a spell
Deeper than the owl's or bat's
That wet of wings may not fly
Bedraggled up on the iroko, they stand
Emptied of hearts, and
Therefore will not, stir, no, not
Even at dawn for then
They must scurry in to hide.
So let us roll over our back
And again roll to the beat
Of drumming all over the land
And under its ample soothing hand
Joined to that of the sea
We will settle to sleep of the innocent and
free.

Analysis
“Night Rain” is a vivid, sensory poem capturing the experience of a nighttime
rainstorm in a rural setting. The speaker wakes from sleep to the sound and feel of
rain drumming on the roof and flowing through the house. Through rich imagery, the
poem conveys both the power of nature and a comforting, peaceful atmosphere.

Themes
1. Nature’s Presence and Power
The rain is portrayed as a powerful, all-encompassing force that invades the space
of the home yet brings a rhythmic, soothing quality.
Imagery like "like some fish doped out of the deep" and rain falling “like orange
and mango fruits” links natural elements to the environment and daily life.
2. Comfort in Familiarity
Despite the storm’s intensity, the speaker finds peace in the familiar sounds and
movements, like the mother protecting belongings from the water.
The poem ends on a note of reassurance, encouraging rest and trust in the natural
rhythm of the rain.
3. Interconnection of Life and Nature
The poem shows the close relationship between humans, animals (owl, bat), and the
natural environment.
The shared experience of the rainstorm connects all living things under its “ample
soothing hand.”

Imagery and Language

The poem uses sensory imagery extensively:
Sound: “drumming hard,” “droning with insistent ardor”
Sight: “orange and mango fruits showered forth in the wind”
Touch and movement: “Mother is busy now deploying / About our room and floor”
Similes and metaphors make the rain tangible and relatable, such as raindrops
compared to fruits and prayer beads, which blend the natural with cultural
elements.
The language is simple yet evocative, reflecting the speaker’s close connection to
everyday life and nature.

Tone and Mood

The tone is reflective and calm, even reverent towards nature’s presence.
The mood moves from initial uncertainty (waking from sleep) to peace and
acceptance, as the rain becomes a comforting, almost spiritual presence.

Form and Style

The poem is written in free verse, reflecting a natural flow without strict rhyme
or meter, mirroring the unpredictability of the rain.
The stream-of-consciousness style gives an intimate glimpse into the speaker’s
waking thoughts.

ELEGY FOR JANE

My Student, Thrown by a Horse

I remember the neckcurls, limp and damp as tendrils;

And her quick look, a sidelong pickerel smile;
And how, once startled into talk, the light syllables leaped for her,
And she balanced in the delight of her thought,
A wten, happy, tail into the wind,
Her song trembling the twigs and small branches.
The shade sang with her;
The leaves, their whispers turned to kissing;
And the mold sang in the bleached valleys under the rose.

Oh, when she was sad, she cast herself down into such a pure depth,
Even a father could not find her:
Scraping her cheek against straw;
Stirring the clearest water.

My sparrow, you are not here,

Waiting like a fen, making a spiny shadow.
The sides of wet stones cannot console me,
Nor the moss, wound with the last light.

If only I could nudge you from this sleep,

My maimed darling, my skittery pigeon.
Over this damp grave I speak the words of my love:
I,with no rights in this matter,
Neither father nor lover.

Analysis of Elegy for Jane by Theodore Roethke

Theodore Roethke’s Elegy for Jane: My Student, Thrown by a Horse is a deeply moving
poem in which the speaker mourns the tragic and untimely death of a young student.
Blending beauty, sorrow, and emotional complexity, the poem captures not just
grief, but the strange, delicate affection a teacher can feel for a gifted, radiant
student — a love that is profound, but socially unacknowledged and restrained.

1. Theme
The main themes include:
Grief and loss: The death of a vibrant young woman leaves the speaker mourning.
Unspoken affection: The speaker confesses a deep, possibly ambiguous affection for
Jane, yet emphasizes his outsider status (“I, with no rights in this matter”).
Innocence and vitality: Jane is portrayed as full of life, light, and natural grace
before her death.
The limits of love and power: The speaker laments his inability to protect or save
her, highlighting human powerlessness.

2. Structure and Style

The poem is a free verse elegy, with no consistent rhyme or meter.
The language is rich in natural imagery, emphasizing the connection between Jane
and the living world.
The tone shifts from celebratory and tender to mournful and powerless.

3. Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Opening Lines:
> “I remember the neckcurls, limp and damp as tendrils...”
The speaker recalls Jane’s physical presence and spirit.
Similes like “damp as tendrils” and “pickerel smile” evoke her delicacy and
liveliness.
Her voice and thoughts are depicted as nimble and graceful.

Middle Section:
> “The shade sang with her... And the mold sang in the bleached valleys under the
rose.”
These lines blur the line between Jane and nature; she seems one with it, animating
the environment with her presence.
Nature responds to her — leaves “kiss,” shade and mold “sing.”
Shift to Grief:
> “Oh, when she was sad, she cast herself down into such a pure depth...”
Jane's sadness was profound and isolating — so much so that even a father couldn’t
reach her.
Her sensitivity is portrayed as both beautiful and tragic.
The imagery of water and straw emphasizes her innocence and the quiet purity of her
inner life.

Final Section:
> “My sparrow, you are not here...”
The speaker turns directly to Jane, using tender metaphors (“my sparrow,” “my
skittery pigeon”) to express affection.
He acknowledges that nothing in nature, which once echoed her spirit, can now
console him.
The final lines express the speaker’s sorrow and helplessness:
> “I, with no rights in this matter, / Neither father nor lover.”
This is a powerful conclusion. He loves her deeply, but in a way that society
doesn’t recognize or permit.
His grief is made worse by his inability to claim a role that would legitimize his
mourning.

4. Literary Devices
Metaphors and Similes: Jane is compared to birds, fish, and natural elements,
enhancing her grace and transience.
Imagery: Nature is a key part of the poem’s emotional landscape — shade, moss,
water, mold, rose.
Tone: Begins with warm remembrance, moves into deep sorrow, and ends in frustrated
mourning.
Alliteration and Sound: Gentle consonance and fluid sounds evoke softness and
vulnerability.

Do not go gentle into that good night

Dylan Thomas

Do not go gentle into that good night,

Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Though wise men at their end know dark is right,

Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright

Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,

And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.

Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight

Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

And you, my father, there on the sad height,

Curse, bless, me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.

Analysis of Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night by Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas’s Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night (1951) is one of the most
powerful and widely studied villanelles in English poetry. Written as an
impassioned plea to his dying father, the poem addresses death not with
resignation, but with defiance. It’s a meditation on mortality, the value of life,
and the human spirit’s resistance to the inevitable.

1. Form and Structure

Villanelle: A highly structured 19-line poem with two alternating refrains and a
strict rhyme scheme (ABA ABA...A). The repetition gives the poem a chant-like,
urgent rhythm.
Refrains:
“Do not go gentle into that good night”
“Rage, rage against the dying of the light” These lines reinforce the core message
of resistance and intensity in the face of death.

2. Central Theme
The poem argues that death should not be met passively. Instead, people —
regardless of the lives they've lived — should fight against the approach of death.
The metaphor of "light" and "night" represents life and death respectively.
3. Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Stanza 1:
> Do not go gentle into that good night...
Opening Command: The speaker urges resistance against death, setting a forceful
tone.
“Good night” is a euphemism for death; “gentle” implies passivity, which the
speaker rejects.
“Rage” represents the human will to live and fight against fading away.
Stanza 2:
> Though wise men at their end know dark is right...
Wise men accept death’s inevitability, but resist because they feel their words
lacked impact (“forked no lightning”).
Suggests that even intellectuals regret unfulfilled potential.
Stanza 3:
> Good men, the last wave by...
“Good men” are moral individuals who mourn that their positive deeds may not have
achieved enough.
Imagery of waves and dancing light evokes energy and life slipping away.
Stanza 4:
> Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight..
“Wild men” are passionate, perhaps reckless individuals who embraced life
intensely.
Realizing too late that time is fleeting, they too fight death despite regrets.
Stanza 5:
> Grave men, near death...
A play on the word “grave” — serious and dying.
Even those physically frail (“blind eyes”) can exhibit blazing energy (“like
meteors”).
A final image of inner vitality defying physical decline.
Stanza 6:
> And you, my father...
The poem’s personal climax: a direct address to the speaker’s dying father.
The plea is deeply emotional — not just for resistance, but for a sign of life,
even if it comes in the form of “fierce tears.”
The mix of “curse” and “bless” conveys the complexity of their bond.

4. Language and Imagery

Metaphors:
“Good night” = death
“Dying of the light” = end of life
Light/Dark Imagery: Symbolizes life and death, knowledge and ignorance.
Violent Verbs: “Burn,” “rave,” “rage” — depict passionate resistance.

5. Tone and Mood

Tone: Urgent, pleading, emotional, defiant.
Mood: Intense, mournful, yet fiercely life-affirming.

6. Key Messages
Defiance Against Death: The core message is to resist passivity at the end of life.
Human Dignity and Passion: Life should be lived — and ended — with energy,
awareness, and force.
Personal Grief: Beneath the universal themes, this is a son's powerful cry for his
father to fight, to stay, to be present just a little longer.

Ode to a Nightingale
John Keats (1819)
MY heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains
My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk,
Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains
One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk:
Tis not through envy of thy happy lot,
But being too happy in thine happiness,
That thou, light-wingèd Dryad of the trees,
In some melodious plot
Of beechen green, and shadows numberless,
Singest of summer in full-throated ease.

O for a draught of vintage! that hath been

Cool'd a long age in the deep-delvèd earth,
Tasting of Flora and the country-green,
Dance, and Provençal song, and sunburnt mirth!
O for a beaker full of the warm South!
Full of the true, the blushful Hippocrene,
With beaded bubbles winking at the brim,
And purple-stainèd mouth;
That I might drink, and leave the world unseen,
And with thee fade away into the forest dim:

Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget

What thou among the leaves hast never known,
The weariness, the fever, and the fret
Here, where men sit and hear each other groan;
Where palsy shakes a few, sad, last grey hairs,
Where youth grows pale, and spectre-thin, and dies;
Where but to think is to be full of sorrow
And leaden-eyed despairs;
Where beauty cannot keep her lustrous eyes,
Or new Love pine at them beyond to-morrow.

Away! away! for I will fly to thee,

Not charioted by Bacchus and his pards,
But on the viewless wings of Poesy,
Though the dull brain perplexes and retards:
Already with thee! tender is the night,
And haply the Queen-Moon is on her throne,
Cluster'd around by all her starry Fays
But here there is no light,
Save what from heaven is with the breezes blown

Through verdurous glooms and winding mossy ways.

I cannot see what flowers are at my feet,

Nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs,
But, in embalmèd darkness, guess each sweet
Wherewith the seasonable month endows
The grass, the thicket, and the fruit-tree wild;
White hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine;
Fast-fading violets cover'd up in leaves;
And mid-May's eldest child,
The coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine,
The murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves.

DarklingI listen; and, for many a time

I have been half in love with easeful Death,
Call'd him soft names in many a musèd rhyme,
To take into the air my quiet breath;
Now more than ever seems it rich to die,
To cease upon the midnight with no pain,
While thou art pouring forth thy soul abroad
In such an ecstasy!
Still wouldst thou sing, and I have ears in vain-
To thy high requiem becomea sod.

Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!

No hungry generations tread thee down;
The voice I hear this passing night was heard
In ancient days by emperor and clown:
Perhaps the self-same song that found a path
Through the sad heart of Ruth, when, sick for home,
She stood in tears amid the alien corn;
The same that ofttimes hath
Charm'd magic casements, opening on the foam
Of perilous seas, in faery lands forlorn.

Forlorn! the very word is like a bell

To toll me back from thee to my sole self!
Adieu! the fancy cannot cheat so well
As she is famed to do, deceiving elf.
Adieu! adieu! thy plaintive anthem fades
Past the near meadows, over the still stream,
Up the hill-side; and now 'tis buried deep
In the next valley-glades:
Was it a vision, or a waking dream?
Fled is that music:-do I wake or sleep?

Analysis of Ode to a Nightingale by John Keats

John Keats’s Ode to a Nightingale (1819) is one of the most celebrated poems of
English Romanticism. It explores themes of mortality, the impermanence of life, the
escapism of art and imagination, and the tension between reality and idealism.
Through the figure of the nightingale, Keats contrasts the fleeting human condition
with the seemingly eternal beauty of nature and poetic expression.

1. Overview and Theme

Keats’s speaker, overwhelmed by the pain of existence, longs to escape reality and
join the nightingale in its carefree, immortal song. He imagines fleeing into the
forest through wine, nature, and finally, poetry itself. But this transcendent
experience is temporary. The poem ends with the speaker pulled back into the real
world, unsure whether the nightingale's song was real or imagined.

2. Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Stanza 1:
> "My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains..."
The speaker feels overwhelmed by a mix of joy and sorrow, comparing his sensation
to the effect of drinking poison or opium.
The nightingale, singing from the trees, represents natural bliss and freedom,
untouched by human suffering.
Stanza 2:
> "O for a draught of vintage..."
The speaker fantasizes about drinking wine from the warm south (Provence), symbolic
of escape, joy, and creativity.
He longs to join the nightingale and disappear from the burdens of the world.
Stanza 3:
> "Fade far away, dissolve, and quite forget..."
The desire is to forget the painful human condition: aging, illness, despair, and
the fleeting nature of youth and beauty.
The he bird, free from this suffering, becomes a symbol of immortal art.
Stanza 4:
> "Away! away! for I will fly to thee..."
The speaker realizes wine is not the true escape; instead, poetry ("the viewless
wings of Poesy") becomes his vehicle.
He imagines a night filled with moonlight and stars, leaving the harshness of the
real world behind.
Stanza 5:
> "I cannot see what flowers are at my feet..."
In the darkness, he cannot see but must imagine the beauty around him, relying on
his senses and imagination.
This emphasizes the Romantic ideal of emotional and sensory experience over
rational understanding.
Stanza 6:
> "Darkling I listen..."
Keats reflects on his long-standing flirtation with the idea of a peaceful death.
In the presence of the nightingale’s beautiful song, death seems particularly
appealing and even enviable.
Yet, he realizes that while he might die, the bird would go on singing —
highlighting the permanence of art versus the mortality of man.
Stanza 7:
> "Thou wast not born for death, immortal Bird!"
The nightingale becomes an eternal being — not the literal bird, but the symbol it
represents: timeless art and beauty.
The song is imagined as one that has echoed through human history, heard by figures
like Ruth from the Bible and sailors in “faery lands forlorn.”
Stanza 8:
> "Forlorn! the very word is like a bell..."
The word “forlorn” jolts the speaker back to reality, ending his imaginative
flight.
He bids the nightingale farewell, acknowledging that the escape was an illusion.
The final question — “Do I wake or sleep?” — reflects the blurred line between
dream and reality, a hallmark of Keats’s poetic style.

3. Key Themes
Mortality vs. Immortality: The poem contrasts the brief, painful nature of human
life with the nightingale’s eternal song — symbolizing timeless art and beauty.
Escapism: Through wine, nature, and poetry, the speaker seeks release from
suffering.
Imagination vs. Reality: The speaker oscillates between visionary experience and
harsh truth, reflecting Romanticism’s interest in the imagination’s power.
Beauty and Transience: Beauty, particularly natural or artistic beauty, is
intensely valued, even as it fades.

4. Poetic Style and Devices

Ode Form: A meditative, structured lyric poem addressing a serious subject.
Sensory Imagery: Rich descriptions of taste, smell, sound, and sight bring
emotional intensity.
Symbolism: The nightingale symbolizes idealized, eternal beauty.
Allusion: References to mythology, wine, Ruth, and magic casements enrich the text
with layers of meaning.
Contrast and Juxtaposition: Life/death, real/imagined, pain/pleasure — these
tensions fuel the poem’s emotional depth.
BY WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE
Sonnet 18: Shall l compare thee to
a summer's day?

Shall I compare thee to a summer's day?

Thou art more lovely and more temperate.
Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May,
And summers lease hath all too short a date.
Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines,

And often is his gold complexion dimm'd;

And every fair from fair sometime declines,
By chance or nature's changing course untrimm'd:
But thy eternal summer shall not fade,
Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;

Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade,

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st.
So long as men can breathe or eyes can see.
So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

Analysis of William Shakespeare’s Sonnet 18

Sonnet 18, often titled “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?”, is a celebration
of the beloved's beauty and the power of poetry to preserve that beauty forever.
Shakespeare opens by comparing his beloved to a summer’s day but then argues that
the beloved is even more beautiful and lasting than summer itself. Ultimately, he
immortalizes that beauty through verse.

Structure
Form: English (Shakespearean) Sonnet
Lines: 14
Rhyme Scheme: abab cdcd efef gg
Meter: Iambic pentameter

Themes
1. The Transience of Nature and Beauty
Summer is beautiful but short-lived and unpredictable — it fades, it has rough
winds, and it ends quickly.
This shows how natural beauty is subject to time and decay.
2. Immortality Through Art
The speaker claims that the beloved’s beauty will never fade because it is captured
in these "eternal lines" — the poem itself.
Art triumphs over time and even defeats death.
3. Idealized Love
The speaker elevates the beloved’s beauty to something eternal and unchanging,
unlike nature.
There is a sense of spiritual and poetic devotion.

Line-by-Line Analysis (Summary)

Lines 1–2: The speaker considers comparing the beloved to a summer’s day but
quickly concludes that the beloved is more lovely and more temperate (gentle and
consistent).
Lines 3–4: Summer is not perfect — winds can be rough, and its duration is too
short.
Lines 5–8: Sometimes the sun (the "eye of heaven") is too hot or obscured, and all
beauty fades due to chance or the natural cycle of life.
Lines 9–12: But the beloved's eternal summer will not fade — death cannot claim
them, because their beauty lives forever in the poem.
Lines 13–14 (Couplet): As long as humans live and read this poem, the beloved’s
beauty will live on.

Literary Devices
Metaphor: The entire sonnet is an extended metaphor comparing the beloved to a
summer’s day.
Personification: Death is given human traits (“brag thou wander’st in his shade”).
Imagery: Vivid images of summer (rough winds, golden sun, fading beauty) contrast
with the eternal youth of the beloved.
Alliteration and Assonance: Adds musicality (e.g., “summer’s lease hath all too
short a date”).

Tone and Mood

Tone: Admiring, romantic, confident.
Mood: Reflective and uplifting — it celebrates beauty, love, and the power of
poetry.

WE WEAR THE MASK"

PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR

We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,-
This debt we pay to human guile;
With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,
And mouth with myriad subtleties.

Why should the world be over-wise,

In counting all our tears and sighs?
Nay, let them only see us, while

We wear the mask.

We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries

To thee from tortured souls arise.
We sing, but oh the clay is vile
Beneath our feet, and long the mile;
But let the world dream otherwise,

We wear the mask!

Analysis of We Wear the Mask by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Paul Laurence Dunbar’s We Wear the Mask is a powerful and haunting poem that
explores the theme of concealed pain, particularly in the context of the African
American experience in post-Civil War America. Written in 1895, it reflects the
emotional and psychological toll of enduring racism and oppression while
maintaining a façade of contentment and resilience.

1. Theme
Hidden suffering: The central theme is the emotional mask worn to conceal inner
pain and anguish.
Deception and survival: The mask is a form of self-protection, a necessary
deception to navigate a hostile world.
Race and identity: Although universal in tone, the poem clearly speaks to the Black
American experience — forced to hide true feelings behind a smile in a racially
unjust society.
Spiritual cry for justice: The poem also contains a spiritual undertone — a plea to
Christ, the only one who can truly see behind the mask.

2. Structure and Style

The poem is composed of three stanzas, with a regular rhyme scheme (AABBA, etc.).
First-person plural (“we”) establishes a collective voice, suggesting a shared
experience — likely of Black Americans.
The language is simple, but the tone is deeply ironic and emotionally charged.

3. Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Stanza 1:
> We wear the mask that grins and lies... With torn and bleeding hearts we smile...
The poem opens with the image of a mask that "grins and lies" — it conceals pain
with false cheer.
The speaker describes the emotional cost: smiling outwardly while inwardly
suffering.
“Mouth with myriad subtleties” suggests forced politeness, coded language, or
strategic silence.

Stanza 2:
> Why should the world be over-wise... We wear the mask.
The speaker questions why the world should be allowed to see their pain —
suggesting the world neither understands nor deserves the truth.
The refrain “We wear the mask” emphasizes this concealment as a collective and
constant experience.

Stanza 3:
> We smile, but, O great Christ, our cries... We wear the mask!
Here the speaker moves from addressing the world to addressing Christ — a divine
figure who can hear their true cries.
“The clay is vile” alludes to the physical burdens of life on earth, possibly the
injustice or lowliness forced upon them.
“Long the mile” symbolizes the long, difficult journey or struggle — of life, of
racial injustice.
Despite their suffering, the speaker insists the world sees only the mask, not the
reality.

4. Literary Devices
Metaphor: The mask is a metaphor for forced emotional concealment.
Irony: The world sees happiness, but the reality is pain.
Repetition: “We wear the mask” is a haunting refrain that reinforces the
persistence of the deception.
Allusion: The plea to “O great Christ” introduces a religious, redemptive element —
suggesting only divine understanding is possible.
Imagery: “Torn and bleeding hearts,” “vile clay,” and “tortured souls” create a
visceral sense of suffering.

5. Tone and Mood

Tone: Bitter, mournful, defiant.
Mood: Tragic and somber, but also resilient — the speaker chooses to endure and
protect others from their inner pain.

A Red, Red Rose

(Robert Burns)
my Luve's like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my Luve's like the melodie,
That's sweetly play'd in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,

So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,

And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!

And fare-thee-weel, a while!
And I will come again, my Luve,
Tho' 'twere ten thousand mile!

Analysis of A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns

Robert Burns’s A Red, Red Rose is one of the most famous love poems in the English
language. Written in 1794 in Scots dialect, it is a passionate declaration of
eternal love, full of tenderness, sincerity, and enduring emotion.

1. Theme
The central theme of the poem is eternal and unwavering love. The speaker expresses
his deep and enduring affection for his beloved using vivid and romantic imagery.
Love, in this poem, is timeless — surviving separation, distance, and even the end
of life itself.

2. Structure and Language

The poem is composed of four quatrains (four-line stanzas), written in iambic
meter, with a lyrical, song-like rhythm.
It employs repetition, similes, and hyperbole to emphasize the depth and permanence
of the speaker’s love.
The use of Scots dialect ("luve", "bonie", "gang") adds regional charm and
musicality.

3. Stanza-by-Stanza Analysis
Stanza 1:
> My Luve's like a red, red rose / That’s newly sprung in June...
Similes: The beloved is compared to a fresh rose and a sweet melody — both images
associated with beauty, youth, and harmony.
The “newly sprung” rose suggests freshness and a blossoming relationship.
Stanza 2:
> As fair art thou, my bonie lass / So deep in luve am I...
The speaker expresses that his beloved is as beautiful (“fair”) as his love is
deep.
“Bonie lass” is a term of affection, adding to the poem's warmth and intimacy.
The repetition of “luve” reinforces emotional depth.
Stanza 3:
> Till a’ the seas gang dry... And the rocks melt wi’ the sun...
Hyperbole: The poet uses exaggerated, impossible images to stress the eternity of
his love.
These lines affirm that his affection will last until the end of time and beyond —
a classic romantic vow.
Stanza 4:
> And fare-thee-weel, my only Luve!... Tho’ 'twere ten thousand mile!
This stanza introduces parting — possibly a farewell due to travel or circumstance.
Yet the poet vows to return, no matter the distance (“ten thousand mile”),
emphasizing devotion and constancy.
4. Literary Devices
Simile: “My luve’s like a red, red rose” and “like the melodie” create vivid,
romantic comparisons.
Hyperbole: Impossible conditions (“seas gang dry,” “rocks melt”) underline the
strength and durability of his love.
Repetition: Phrases like “Till a’ the seas gang dry” and “I will luve thee still”
add emphasis and rhythm.
Alliteration and Assonance: Enhance the musicality of the poem.

5. Tone and Mood

Tone: Romantic, affectionate, sincere.
Mood: Warm, heartfelt, slightly melancholic at the end due to the parting.

Cradle Song
Alfred Lord Tennyson
What does little birdie say
In her nest at peep of day?
Let me fly, says little birdie,
Mother, let me fly away.
Birdie, rest a little longer,
Till thy little wings are stronger.
So she rests a little longe,
Then she flies away.

What does little baby say,

In her bed at peep of day?
Baby says, like little birdie,
Let me rise and fly away.
Baby, sleep a little longer,
Till thy little limbs are stronger.
Till thy little wings are stronger.
So she rests a little longer,
Then she flies away.

What does little baby say,

In her bed at peep of day?
Baby says, like little birdie,
Let me rise and fly away.
Baby, sleep a little longer,
Till thy little limbs are stronger.
If she sleeps a little longer
Baby too shall fly away.

Analysis
This Victorian lullaby by Alfred, Lord Tennyson depicts the inevitable departure of
children from their parental homes. A baby bird pleads to leave its nest,
symbolizing a child's desire for independence. The mother bird, like a protective
parent, urges patience until the bird's wings are strong. Similarly, a baby seeks
freedom but is gently reminded that her limbs must grow stronger. The poem captures
the bittersweet transition from childhood to adulthood, convey through the touching
analogy of a bird leaving its nest.
In comparison to Tennyson's other works, "Cradle Song" stands out for its brevity
and simplicity. Unlike his longer, narrative poems, this lyric conveys a universal
theme in a concise and accessible manner. It reflects the Victorian era's emphasis
on family values and the importance of nurturing children during their formative
years.
The poem's gentle tone and soothing imagery also evoke a sense of nostalgia and
longing, reminiscent of the era's sentimentalism.