Heart and Mind 

Edith Sitwell

That the heart and the mind can not be one has been brought out in “Heart and Mind” by Edith Sitwell.

She brings the Lion and Lioness to life and blood of a human being and makes them converse. “Raging fire” brings out animal power and passion – focuses on the primitive and raw nature of creatures in the jungle.

The first two lines are about acceptance of death as the Lion and  Lioness will then be “dust” bereft of “heat” which is passion of the youth.

The lion asks lioness to “remember” their union in “blood and bone”  and makes the colors of red and white come alive against “amber” and “dust”. The use of the colors contrasts feelings and emotions of life in “red” and death  in “dust”.  The lion wants the lioness to “remember” that their union will remain till after death and is immortal. The color of “amber” against “dust” contrast beauty against death.

The strength, vitality and energy of youth comes to the fore in the “rippling of bright muscles”. Since the lion is talking about their death they will “mate no more” which is to say that their union will not be possible till such time that the “fire” which is heart and the “moon” which is the “mind” are “one”. The poet also refers to objectivity of the “mind” which is “cold” and the subjectivity of the “heart” which is “fire” becoming one in death that is “dust”. Despite their strength and power all will become “dust” and what will remain is in memories only thus the author uses the word “remember”.

Death personified in “Skeleton” transcends “Time”. The “heat” of the “Sun” is “mourning” – this refers to power of passion which is an overwhelming emotion and can kill – thus the use of the word. “Time” is ultimate, nobody can defeat it.

The poet refers to the “Samson” and “Hercules”, known for their strength and heroism. Yet, “flames of heart” were responsible for their downfall and “consumed” them. “The mind is a but a foolish wind” portrays the image of person who has fallen in love and the “mind” too gives in and becomes “foolish”. That heart and love can take over and destroy intellect become clear here. The is powerful yet destroys the strongest of men, makes their mind weak and feeble.

The “sun” representative of the heart and emotion says to the “moon” representative of cold logic that only when “time is done” will the passion and emotion of the “heart” and the “mind” be unified. The phrase “a lonely white crone” creates the image of an old cranky thin woman. The “king” conjures the image of power and passion which is now “in a dark wood” – that is hell after death. The words “golden armor” suggests a royal protective shield  which now is in a coffin “dark wood”. Words like “wood’ can be interpreted by the reader at many levels, one death and that too beyond death in hell.

Their love is “hopeless” as the union of the heart and mind is impossible, which is the theme of the poem.

Coming Home

Coming Home

Owen Sheers

“Coming Home” is not a warm welcome but a cold start to a regular relationship. Owen Sheers writes about a man who left home a “child” and has returned a “man”. His mother let go of a “child” and wants this baby to comeback. At the arrival of a “man” her “hug” is “awkward”. The discomfort of the mom and the son is equally felt. The son can empathize with his mom wanting the child back. Owen tricks the reader from “open arms” almost waiting to hug the son yet there is a twist to realize that son is all grown up now and is a “man”. The words “this body of a man” create the image of a son who is a stranger in front of the mother. “Open arms” being reserved for a “child” and not “this” person uses enjambment beautifully to show that the return of this adult instead of a child is not what the mother expected.

The first stanza continues creating the image of a mother who is “flipping” and “patting” to show that her regular routine life continues. It brings alive the image of a woman for whom her make up is the “flour” that “makes her over”. It brings to the reader’s mind the drudgery of routine life of a woman and that her place remains in the kitchen. She has “wrinkles” and thus is old herself. The word “dusting” once again leads the reader on yet only to the “cheeks” being covered by them. Clearly, the mother has not lead a comfortable life either. The word "pat" has perhaps been used to "pat" the dough directly and the man indirectly. 

The father’s life is no bed of roses. Various words and phrases in the second stanza dedicated to the “Dad” show that. The words “still”, “reappear” and “again” focus on the acts he has no other choice, but to pursue again and again. Alliteration in the words “Winter”, “works” and “with wet wool” bring out the hardships that he continues to face come hail or snow.  His relentless pursuit is depicted in the words “he works on a hole” and nature takes him to task as the hole “reappears every Winter”. That is hair is “wild” creates the image of a man who is used to rough life of a farm and hence his pockets too are “filled with fillings of hay”. The alliterative use of the “f” sound in these words emphasize on the routine and mundane in the father’s life.

While the mother and father are engaged in action, the grandfather is “all seated”. His retired image is painted by the use of these words. The mother in the kitchen, the father in the wild and the grandfather in the seat. The transition of relationships is very clear. That the grandfather is growing old and at an increasing pace every year is brought out in the last stanza. That is life is short is brought home by the use of only four lines here against seven lines in the previous two stanzas. The grandfather’s old age and its shakes are brought out clearly in “unsteady” and “shiver”.

The common thread in the three stanzas is the theme of aging and life of routine. The mother made of by “flour” look, the father breath being “snagged” and the grandfather’s shiver’s becoming faster each year are silent witness to that process.

The tone of the poem is harsh. It makes the reader face the reality of life when a man returns home after many years. Things remain the same, the perspective of the one who comes “home” changes and becomes more mature.

“Coming home” is to many harsh discomforting realities of debilitating life.

Rohini Rode

August 11, 2015

Passion by Kathleen Raine

Contrasts

The first thing that strikes the reader is the use of contrasts in the poem.
Words like “speak” and “mute” emphasize on someone to speak who remains mute. “Flower” and “tiger” are elements of nature that have been brought up to show the contrast that nature has to offer. The poem being about universal energies mentions “mortal” and “immortal” another contrasts that exists. Raine waits for the “war” to end and what appears is “love” offering the “tranquility” that she longed for in the beginning. The images of “death” and “eternity” offer a paradox to the reader. At first “mortal death” focuses on the weakness for love that makes her almost die yet “love” and “eternity” prevail in the end. "Love" eludes the poetess. 

Transition

The poem begins with the anguish at the hands of lover who is “wounding” her. She feels abandoned by all – the “cloud”, “ship”, her own “speech” – is bereft of her lover and feels ignored. Nature in the form of “Sky” reinforces her belief in herself telling her she has what she “desires”.  She only has to feel confident, believe in herself and live without “fear”. The reality of her own strength then dawns on her. The reader feels her liberation in the war ending leading her feeling “love” and “eternity”

Theme

The poem is about love not returned, not reciprocated, which remains unrequited. Kathleen is at a loss for her soul “lacked”. Her anguished and turbulent thoughts come alive with her body growing “weak” – with her feeling that she lacked “tranquility”. The poet has created the image of a woman who feels rejected, abandoned by her lover. Yet, she regains strength and feels the change in her environs. She see nature “turn” around. There is hope again for “every cell” us new born. From “death” she moves to a state where “love” is the winner.

Poetic Devices – Enjambment

Enjambment breaks thought patterns and carries a contrasting idea to the next line in this poem. The reader feels “each tree” will lead to strength, yet this line leads to what her soul “lacked”. Raine’s “human speech” leaves the reader asking for her to say something, however it “forsakes” her. The penultimate stanza brings about a transition to the positive when every new cell “born burned” with fire. Raine creates a thought in one line and takes it to another level in the next one.

Sky has been personified – is it her friend? First it “wounds” her then it “speaks” to her. Elements of nature come alive when the “sky” talks to her and tell her to “believe” in herself. Telling her that she is complete in herself, she has what she “desires”. With the sky she discovers the energy of the universe and realizes that every was “new born”. She experienced “passion” in these energies and elements of nature.

The poem transits from a presence of “lack” to “love”. It takes the reader to journey where there is complete “light” and “love and eternity”. The universe energizes here.