I Have a Rendezvous with Death
BY ALAN SEEGER
I have a rendezvous with Death
At some disputed barricade,
When Spring comes back with
rustling shade
And apple-blossoms fill the air—
I have a rendezvous with Death
When Spring brings back blue
days and fair.
It may be he shall take my hand
And lead me into his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my
breath—
It may be I shall pass him still.
I have a rendezvous with Death
On some scarred slope of battered
hill,
When Spring comes round again
this year
And the first meadow-flowers
appear.
God knows 'twere better to be
deep
Pillowed in silk and scented down,
Where Love throbs out in blissful
sleep,
Pulse nigh to pulse, and breath to
breath,
Where hushed awakenings are dear
...
But I've a rendezvous with Death
At midnight in some flaming
town,
When Spring trips north again this
year,
Personal Annotations:
Synaesthesia- this technique is used in “When Spring comes back
with rustling shade” It’s useful because it uses two main senses:
hearing and vision. Vision is used when they see nature coming back to
life and a sense of darkness is brought over.
Metaphor- this technique is used when saying “apple-blossoms fill
the air” is used to make a vision express happiness due to spring
coming and apple-blossoms filling the air expresses the emotion of
happiness because it's getting warmer and fresh flowers.
Alliteration- the use of the technique is in the line “brings back blue”
repeating the letter B, bringing the reader's attention to the letter to
focus on those particular words.
Repetition(Anaphora)- “I have a rendezvous with death” is repeated
many times to highlight the main point of the poem that is being
explored in this piece of poetry.
Paradoxical words- Rendezvous known as a positive term, Death is
considered negative.
Enjambment- this technique is used when saying “And lead me into
his dark land
And close my eyes and quench my breath” it’s used to create a
thought that they are thinking, the thought hasn’t finished so they are
leaving it on a cliffhanger causing the reader to continue reading onto
the next line.
Rhyme- this technique is used with the words hand and land it forms
some sort of rhythm/music making it enjoyable.
Sibilance- the use of sibilance is to make the reader slow down so they
pay more attention to the words that are being used. “Some scarred
slope”
Compound word- meadow-flowers
Rhyme- this technique is used with the words deep and sleep it forms
some sort of rhythm/music making it enjoyable.
Rhyme- this technique is used with the words breath and death it
forms some sort of rhythm/music making it enjoyable.
Rhyme- this technique is used with the words down and town it
forms some sort of rhythm/music making it enjoyable.
 And I to my pledged word am Assonance- this technique is used in the words Pillowed, midnight
true, in, Spring trips
I shall not fail that rendezvous.