1.

White Sun and Bright Moon

STANZA ANALYSIS:

- It says that sun and moon are running around day and night... and how can we humble mortal beings just live in a leisurely way that it seems like
nothing is going to happen... or why are we so relax.
- In this poem the author is wondering how come we humble human beings live in a leisurely way while the white sun and bright moon are running
around each passing day and we are living so relax.
- one day he found out that there is leaf of a tree that once you eat it you will become youth eternally and even the angels want to eat this leaves so
that they could live eternally youthful
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
- Li Bai (701–762), also known as Li Bo, courtesy name Taibai, was a Chinese poet acclaimed from his own day to the present as a genius and a
romantic figure who took traditional poetic forms to new heights. He and his friend Du Fu(712–770) were the two most prominent figures in the
flourishing of Chinese poetry in the Tang dynasty, which is often called the "Golden Age of Chinese Poetry". The expression "Three Wonders"
denote Li Bai's poetry, Pei Min's swordplay, and Zhang Xu's calligraphy.[1]
- Li Po (701-762), one of the most popular Chinese poets, was noted for his romantic songs on wine, women, and nature. His writings reflect
the grandeur of the T'ang dynasty at the height of its prosperity.
- Li Po was probably born in central Asia, where his ancestors had lived in exile since the early 7th century. His father took the family back to China
about 705 and settled down at Mien-chou in Szechwan, where the poet grew up. A precocious boy, he started his poetic compositions early but
disdained to take the literary examination. Except for a period of seclusion in the mountains near home, he spent his youth in search of adventures
abroad. Skilled in swordsmanship, he led the life of the knight-errant, traveling extensively in Szechwan and, later, in his twenty-fifth year,
northward to central China. He was married in 727 to the daughter of a retired prime minister at An-lu in Hupei, where he stayed the next 8 years.
Meanwhile, he continued to explore the scenic rivers and lakes of neighboring regions.
- Court Life and Travels
- In 735 Li started a long journey that took him northward to the central plains of the Yellow River and eastward to the coastal areas of the Yangtze.
These were the best years of his life as well as the most flourishing period of the dynasty, both of which he celebrated in poems. The climax came
in 742, when he went to the capital, Ch'ang-an, and was presented to the emperor, Hsüan-tsung, who showered him with favors. Li was appointed
a member of the Hanlin Academy and was lionized by fellow scholar-officials. At the zenith of his poetic power, he wrote some of his best-known
songs for court festivities. He often frequented city taverns and got excessively drunk, thus earning the reputation, together with seven other
notables of the court, as the "Eight Immortals of the Wine-cup." Two years later he grew tired of court life and left it for another long period of
travel.
- In the autumn of the same year (744) occurred the memorable meeting of China's two great poets, Li Po and Tu Fu, in the eastern capital, Loyang.
They had another meeting the next year in Ch'i-chou, Shantung, where Li Po was initiated into the Taoist religion by one of its patriarchs. After
having settled his family (he had remarried by this time) in Shantung, Li Po journeyed once again for 10 years in northern and eastern China. In
the poems of this period, he showed a growing interest in Taoism which replaced his youthful ardor for chivalry. He was beset, however, by
mundane troubles; though well received by local dignitaries impressed by his poetic talents and fame, he began to complain of the lack of money
and property.
- At the time of the An Lu-shan rebellion in December 755, which was to shake the T'ang empire to its foundations, Li Po had gone to the Yangtze
region, to which he had also moved his family. He was spared the dangers and hardships which his fellow poets in the North suffered when the
rebels succeeded in capturing Loyang and Ch'ang-an.
- But a worse fate awaited Li Po. He was involved for a short while in the unsuccessful uprising of Li Lin, Prince of Yung, who was then
commander in chief of the T'ang forces in central China. As Li Lin's fleet sailed down the Yangtze, Li Po joined him in Kiukiang in early 757.
After the prince's defeat by royalist troops, Li Po was imprisoned and threatened with a death sentence. Later, it was commuted to banishment to
Yeh-lang (Tsun-i in Kwei-chow) in the remote southwest interior. Li Po took a leisurely trip to his destination. Amnesty came when he was still on
his way. He happily retraced his steps eastward and wandered in the Yangtze area for another 2 years. He died in Tang-t'u in southern Anhwei in
December 762.
- Li Po's Philosophy
- An aura of romanticism pervades Li Po's life and poetry. With his fondness for adventure and traveling, his search for alchemy and the elixir of
life, his love of and intimate communion with nature, he exemplifies the typical Taoist trends in his poetry. It reflects the kind of melancholy and
despondence that a man feels when he finds his talents unused and his life wasted.
- To drown his sorrows, Li Po indulged himself in heavy drinking, which became with him a lifelong habit. Wine, however, was a blessing to him,
rather than a bane, as it provided him with inspiration for poetry. In those moments of exhilaration, when alone or in company, he would dash off
verses which flow freely without restraint. He is at his best in poems of the ancient style, which allow freedom of expression with little prosodic
requirements. His finest lyrics are characterized by spontaneity of feeling, lofty imagination, and facility of language. They are filled with a
"divine madness" that earns for him the sobriquet "An Immortal in Exile."
- Further Reading on Li Po
- Though published some 50 years ago, The Works of Li Po, the Chinese Poet, translated by Shigeyoshi Obata (1922), remains the only complete
English translation of Li Po's poems; it has an adequate introduction and some biographical materials. It should be read together with Arthur
Waley, The Poetry and Career of Li Po (1950), which gives a detailed life of the poet as well as new translations of his poems. For background
information see James J. Y. Liu, The Art of Chinese Poetry (1962) and The Chinese Knight-errant (1967).
- Li Bai (701-762) was one of the greatest poets of the Tang Dynasty. The Tang era was a golden age of Chinese poetry, and Li Bai’s works made
up a major part of this. A large number of poems from this period still survive today, they have been translated into many languages all over the
world. Li Bai is one of the most famous and well respected poets of the era.
- The Life
-

- Li Bai was born in 701, the exact location of his birth is unknown but it is believed to be in Central Asia. Some believe he was born in Suiye which
is now Kyrgyzstan. There is a story that his mother had a dream of a falling white star and then fell pregnant with him. This gave rise to a myth
that he was a fallen immortal who had come to Earth.
- When Li Bai was a young child his family was moved to Sichuan in secret by his father. He remained here until his mid-twenties. His memoirs
suggest that he was a gifted swordsman and martial artist. He claimed to have killed several men by the time he was twenty.
- Upon reaching his mid-twenties he set sail on Yangzi River and began life as a wanderer. He married the grand-daughter of a former ruler of
China, gave away much of his wealth and met famous people. He became a celebrity himself and continued to travel. He joined up with a group of
other poets who also enjoyed writing about and drinking wine.
- Li Bai was considered a genius and became a friend and adviser to the Emperor. When war broke out and the Emperor was removed a power
vacuum was created. Li Bai made an attempt to seize power, he was unsuccessful and sentenced to death. A general who Li Bai had befriended
and helped many years earlier intervened on his behalf and he was exiled instead.
- He continued his nomadic lifestyle but traveled much shorter distances. He was to be named the Registrar of the Left Commandant’s office by the
new Emperor in 762 but he died before news of this reached him. There are differing accounts of his death. It is suggested that it is likely that his
nomadic existence and heavy drinking took a toll on his body which caused death by natural causes. A more romantic story suggests that he died
whilst trying to embrace the reflection of the moon in a lake. This is used in Chinese culture as a caution against illusions.
- Surviving Work
-

- The Tang Dynasty spanned nearly 300 years in ancient China. During the period between 618 AD and 907 AD over 50,000 poems where
produced by over 2000 different poets. Li Bai is credited as the author of over 1000 of these poems. A lot of his work has been preserved and
survives today, although it is not known if it has been edited or otherwise altered to fit in with cultural, political and social norms of subsequent
times. If it has been edited it is not known to what extent. Li Bai was viewed as controversial by some, he wrote graphically about drunkenness. He
often championed drunkenness and glorified it as a lifestyle. Many of his poems were written about Chinese wine. He also glorified his wandering
lifestyle. These topics would have made his poems very controversial at the time and would be considered inappropriate by some, even today.
 - If his work has been edited since it was first written it should not diminish its importance or prevent us from enjoying his writings. A parallel can
be found in modern day film making. Many movies are censored and edited by studios but this does not prevent us enjoying them. Li Bai’s
surviving works remain an important part of Chinese culture.
- There is only one known piece of work that survives today which was written by Li Bai’s own hand. This surviving poem is named Shangyangtai
which means Going Up to the Sun Terrace. This important piece shows us that Li Bai was a gifted calligrapher. This manuscript can be found in
Beijing, China at the Palace Museum.
- The Style
-

- As a poet, Li Bai often looked back to the past for inspiration. He very rarely wrote about the future. The celebration of alcoholic beverages and a
drunken nomadic lifestyle was not the only reason that his work was considered to be controversial. He often wrote poems from different
perspectives and viewpoints, including from the perspectives of women. It was considered to be inappropriate at the time for a man to write with
the viewpoint of a woman.
- He also broke many established rules of poetry at the time, and this was also seen as controversial by many people. When placed in context we can
understand why this was so. Artists often will push the boundaries of what is acceptable, a common occurrence among painters in the last 300
years and musicians and film-makers today. Li Bai pushed the boundaries of what was acceptable at the time. He is remembered as a gifted man
who led an extraordinary life and left behind a legacy of over 1000 great works of Chinese literature.
2. TAJ MAHAL
- ELEMENTS OF POETRY:
Figures of speech used :
• Aphaeresis
“Its strange that the amorous souls should tread the regal paths.”
• Paragoge
“The marks of imperial might that herein lie screen’d.”
• Anaphora
“These structures and sepulchers, these rampants and forts, these relics of the mighty dead, are, in fact, no more.”
“This bank of Jamina, this edifice…”
“These graves and lawns, these carved walls and doors.”
• Antanaclasis
“They too must have loved, my love, whose hand had made…”
• Scesis Onomaton
“But their dear ones lived and died, unhonoured, known…”
• Asyndeton
“These carved walls and doors, arches and alcoves…”
• Oxymeron
“An emperor on the strength of wealth, has played us a cruel joke”
• Metonomy
“Who would say their loves ones weren’t truthful or strong”
Isocolon
• Who, When, Where, What
Who’s the speaker of the poem - Shah Jahan-Shahab-ud-din Muhammad Khurram (Regnal name of Shan Jahan), the fifth Mugal
Emperor

Whom the poem was made - Mumtaz Mahal–Arjumand Banu Begnum princess of Persian nobility. She is the third wife of Shah Jahan and
his favorite. She got the name “Mumtaz Mahal” from his husband meaning “Jewel of The Palace”.
When – 1632, this is the time that Taj Mahal was built and perhaps the time the author is referring to.
Where does the poem take place – In the city of Agra where the Taj Mahal was built
 Imagery – Visual Imagery – referring to the grandeur on how the Taj mahal was built
 Persona – Shah Jahan
 Mood/Tone – Proud, delighted, satisfied
 Diction
a) Edifice - a building, especially a large, imposing one
b) Groves - a small wood, orchard, or group of trees.
c) Lawns - an area of short, mown grass in a yard, garden, or park.
d) Arches - structure or a part of a building that represents an arch-shape
e) Alcoves - a recess, typically in the wall of a room or of a garden.
f) Hence - as a consequence; for this reason.
g) Cruel - willfully causing pain or suffering to others, or feeling no concern about it.

Imagery - Persona
• The poem was targeted for the author's loved ones. The people close to him and who had gone with him through the sadness and happiness in the
author's life.
Mood/Tone
• The overall feeling expressed by the first stanza in the piece was being serious and persuasive about getting the trust and love of that one person he is
in love with.
Diction
- The author was very poetic in choosing words to put in the first stanza. It was filled with deep, cheesy lines targeted towards one person and went
as far as comparing her to the Taj Mahal itself.
Theme
- The overall theme expressed in the stanza was love. It was mainly about love and how it can change people. And how love can drive us into
different unexplainable feelings deep inside us. As with the author, love has brought him to express in poetic ways.
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sahir Ludhianvi was born on March 8th, 1921 in Karimpura locality in Ludhiana, Punjab. His real name was Abdul
Hayee (alternate spellings Haie or Hayi). He was born in a wealthy family of zamindars. His grandfather's name was Fateh Mohammad and his
father's name was Fazal Mohammad. In 1934, when Sahir was 13 years old, his father re-married. His mother, Sardar Begum, who was Kashmiri,
took a bold step and decided to divorce her husband, forfeiting all claims. Sahir's father sued for custody but lost. He threatened Sahir's life and
Sahir's mother had to keep him under constant watch. So Sahir's formative years were spent in fear and financial straits.

Sahir did his schooling from Khalsa High School in Ludhiana. He was considered a good, hard-working student. He learnt Urdu and Farsi from
Maulana Faryaz Haryanvi. After matriculation, he joined S. C. Dhawan Government College for Boys in Ludhiana from where he was expelled.
Unconfirmed rumors indicate this was for sitting on the Principal's lawn with a female class-mate. After being expelled, in 1943, Sahir moved to
Lahore where he joined Dayal Singh College. Here, he got his first taste of success. He was elected president of the Student Federation and it was
here that he published his first book of poems, Talkhiyaan [pronounced tal-Khi-yaaN] (Bitterness) in 1945 while still a student.

In 1948, Sahir started work as editor for Shaahkaar and Savera. He also published Shaahraah from Delhi and did some editorial work for "preet
kii laDi"/"Prithlari", all of which were successful. He also became a member of the Progressive Writers' Association. Soon, however,
his inflammatory writings in Savera resulted in the Government of Pakistan issuing a warrant for his arrest. So, Sahir fled to Delhi but after a
couple of months, moved to Bombay (present day Mumbai).

Sahir made his debut as a lyricist with the film "Azadi Ki Raah Par" in 1948. The film had four songs written by him. His first song was " badal
rahii hai zindagii". However, it was the year 1951 that would bring him fame and recognition. Two films, released in 1951, had songs that sky-
 rocketed in popularity and are hummed even today. First was "ThanDii hawaayeN lehraa ke aayeN" from Naujawan. The second was a landmark
film, marking the directorial debut of Guru Dutt - Baazi. Both films, coincidentally, had music by S. D. Burman.

Sahir had a long and successful career as a lyricist and worked with most music directors in the 50s and 60s including Roshan, Madan
Mohan, Khaiyyam, Ravi, S. D. Burman and N. Dutta. He was an integral part of Guru Dutt's team and along with S. D. Burman, gave
numerous hits. His work with Roshan resulted in fabulous music for several period films, including Taj Mahal for which he won his first
Filmfare award for Best Lyricist. In the 70s, most of his work was for Yash Chopra films but the paucity of films certainly did not diminish the
quality of his writings and he won his second Filmfare award for Best Lyricist for Kabhie Kabhie in 1976. He was also awarded the Padmashri by
the government of India in 1971.

3. LOVE AFTER LOVE

Love After Love is an unusual love poem which concentrates on loving the self, the inner self, following the break down of a relationship. It's main theme is that of
becoming whole again through self-recognition, a kind of healing that works by self-conscious invitation.
Being in a loving relationship can be a wonderfully thrilling experience. Learning to love another person can lead to a rare fulfilment but when things don't turn out
for the good, when love dies, some people can be devastated when the relationship ends, for whatever reason.
 Love After Love gives the reader a direct message: Do not worry, you will be able to love your self again. Having put so much of yourself into the
relationship, doing things for the other person, expressing selfless love, it's only natural you feel incapable. But persevere, love for you will return.
First published in 1976 in the book Sea Grapes this poem has become a popular choice for self-help groups and workshop leaders who use it to help facilitate
positive change in those who have lost self-esteem and confidence.
The poet himself acknowledged that 'the process of poetry is one of excavation and of self-discovery' so the cycle becomes complete when you consider that the
poet's own experience comes through in the poem which is then used to shine light on other people's darker experiences.
Love After Love is a modern poem yet was inspired by a poem published in 1633. George Herbert's Love (III), a religious poem, is all about accepting love and
ends with the lines:
"You must sit down," says Love,"and taste my meat."/ So I did sit and eat.
The basic message is that each and every individual is of value and can learn to accept and nurture that part of the psyche which is estranged. Facing up to the
challenge isn't easy but it is possible to love oneself again.
Analysis of Love After Love - Stanza by Stanza
Love After Love is a poem that instructs, gently, and reassures. With no set rhyme scheme or meter (metre in British English), the poem is a loose structure pinned
with occasional short lines and single words. It takes its time, the subtle caesura (natural and punctuated breaks or pauses) placed for the reader to ponder on.
From the outset the suggestion is that the individual will start to acknowledge an inner self and the need for a kind of reconciliation between the two parts, a
rediscovered love.
What has been a split psyche can become whole again.
First Stanza
Formed out of a long sentence that tails off with a comma into the second stanza, this first is an accumulation of reassuring statement, aimed personally at the
reader and more specifically at those who know through their own experiences.
The lines grow in length, repetition helping to reinforce the idea that you will be ok in the long run, you'll become aware of the need for self-love and a positive
outlook. Each time you get home and stand before your door, each time you see yourself in the mirror this feeling will grow, just like the stanza...
Second Stanza
You may even start to talk to yourself again, inside. The message is to sit. The purpose is to eat. This could come as a bit of a surprise, the imperative Eat. Why eat?
With yourself?
Well, if you're eating you have an appetite and that means more positive energy, it means an act of communion (religious as well as secular) can take place and that
in itself is a vital start, a practical step towards loving oneself.
Note the mention of the stranger in line seven, underlining the idea of a split in the psyche - and the reassuring tone of the speaker who insists that this stranger will
be loved again. The stranger who was your self but who has been neglected.
The wine and bread are taken from the Christian communion (they symbolise the blood and body of Christ) but are here meant to convey the humanity involved in
this process rather than any divinity. The syntax is unusual, broken up by full stops, end stops as the imperative comes to the fore.
All through this stanza is an emphasis on the stranger, the metaphorical stranger, that part of every individual who unconditionally loves but who, through time has
lost heart.
Third Stanza/Fourth Stanza
Enjambment carries the reader from second to third and continues to focus on the stranger, that side of the psyche who during the relationship suffered, but still is
the one who knows best.
And in line twelve the first mention of a practical step towards finally ending the heartache and estrangement. Remove love letters. Remove photos. Remove notes.
Presumably they have to be destroyed or kept out of sight before a healing can be reached.
That use of the word peel in the final stanza gives an added significance - not take down your own image but peel, slowly and surely, unseal yourself before you
can at last sit and finish off the wine and bread in a suitable manner. Don't eat the food, feast on it. You deserve it.
More Analysis of Love After Love - Tone, Language, Imagery
Love After Love is a short, free verse poem of 4 stanzas, making a total of 15 varied length lines. The rather loose structure overall reflects the breaking down of
former barriers, a theme within the poem, which focuses on new found freedom to love oneself following a relationship breakup.
Tone
The tone is gentle, conciliatory and instructive. The speaker is reassuring the reader throughout that all will be well in the end, it's a matter of time and willingness
to accept. But some actions will have to be taken which is why the imperatives are used in some lines.
Imagery
The images are those of an individual entering, opening a door of a house and facing their own image in a mirror. This is a positive visual, there are smiles and
even some joy.
There is an instruction - to eat - at a table, in the kitchen? This is the scene the reader is encouraged to build: a quietly reflective person who is now beginning to
show signs of a new life, expressing positive vibes through smiles and a renewed appetite for life.
Once the paraphernalia surrounding the lost love, all the letters and what have you, are finally removed, then the self-acceptance can be truly experienced.
The mirrors are an obvious pointer towards reflection and recognition.
Language/Diction
Perhaps the most notable aspect of the language used is that of tenses: the poem covers the past, present and future.
The first line:
The time will come (future)
and line ten:
all your life, whom you ignored (past)
then line twelve + all of stanza 4:
Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, (present)
 This is underpinned by repetition:
The time will/you will/each will......Give wine. Give bread. Give back.....sit here/Sit/
The imperative suggests instruction and command, each monosyllabic word contrasting with the longer lines:
Eat.
Give wine. Give bread.
Sit. Feast on your life.
Love After Love by Derek Walcott is a poem, made up of four stanzas, that is presented in the form of a person offering advice to someone who is distressed.
Within those four stanzas, readers can infer that the distress comes from a bad relationship that either has ended or should end, and that the person hearing this
advice is still suffering from the sadness of the experience. Regardless, Walcott assures this person—this “you”—that not only will things get better, but that the
overall state of things will improve in the wake of this relationship. The reason for this seems to be the main theme of the poem as the speaker insists again and
again that who this person has become does not accurately represent who they truly are, but one day, their true self will return. On that day, they will be happy
again since only in embracing who they are can they fully be content.

Love After Love Analysis

First Stanza
The structural design of this stanza is very free, in that even basic rules of grammar are not limiting Walcott’s presentation. Specifically, the use of commas is
lacking, almost as if Walcott has thrown them in where he feels the desire to and without regard for what grammar rules state. The consequences include non-
essential clauses lacking needed commas, such as “with elation” which only has the comma leading into it. But the lack of commas becomes a bigger issue in the
final two lines since the result of not placing a comma before the last line—before “and each…”—is a run-on sentence.
Certainly, this analysis is not meant as a proofreading exercise, but this lack of structure says something about the meaning of the poem. There is a freeing theme to
Walcott’s work, and having the liberty to build his sentences without regulations expresses that freedom. Not until later does the reader encounter why the poem is
about a kind of liberty, but basic details of the situation are presented in this first stanza.
Through these opening lines, the reader can infer that whatever is destined to occur in this future-looking work, the person it will happen to will approve since it
will spark “elation,” and most notably, whatever causes this “elation” will be the product of the person who experiences it. This simple idea is brought to light
through what reads as a complex narrative of having a person “[arrive at their] own door” and “smile.” Since a person cannot literally have this happen where their
exactness greets them, the reader is encouraged to step into a more metaphoric concept for the lines.
If the reader applies that deeper meaning to the lines, the understanding is that there will be a future moment when this person comes to know and appreciate who
they are, and embracing their own worth will be a satisfying experience. You can read the full poem here.

Second Stanza
Once more, we encounter lines that do not obey grammar rules, such as dialogue that is not grammatically treated like dialogue and the single word, yourself, that
is divided in two pieces: “your self.” This word separation is of particular interest since it is a representation of this person having been broken in two parts—the
part that will return one day and the part that is as their situation caused them to be. In any event, this strategy speaks to the freeing element that is at work in
Walcott’s poem by showcasing how freeing it can be to come to know and appreciate oneself.
Beyond this already established method of highlighting freedom, though, this stanza provides the reader with a sense of what has occurred before this interaction
between the speaker and the person addressed. In particular, the stanza tells this person to “give back [their] heart to itself,” which implies that they offered their
love to someone who did not appreciate it. Should the person who was the recipient of that love have cared for it and treated it well, there would be no cause to
repossess it since it would have been under good guardianship.
Additionally, Walcott provides clues as to why the heart needed to be repossessed in mentioning that the reintroduction of this person to their own being will be an
introduction to “the stranger who has loved [them].” For someone to become a “stranger” to their own person, something has to separate them from their priorities
and ideas. Logically, after all, if a person maintains a sense of self on a day-to-day basis, there is little room to lose track of that self along the way. What this hints
in connection with the idea of repossessing the “heart” is that another person—the one who had been the recipient of the “heart”—has so grandly torn down who
the person being addressed is, this “you” is a “stranger” in their own eyes.

Related poetry: Dark August by Derek Walcott

Third Stanza
This stanza solidifies the notion that the person addressed has handed over a great deal of self to a third party since the self that will resurface is one who has been
“ignored for another.” What was a theory beforehand then becomes a concrete detail of the work, particularly when later in the stanza, “love letters” are referenced
as things that need to be “take[n] down.” What this lets the reader know is that the relationship that stole this person’s sense of identity was a romantic one that has
either ended or is on the brink of ending—possibly as a decision that this “you” will make.
The end of this relationship is a great thing for this person, and one day, they will not reminisce about the romance with sadness. Rather, they will feel happiness
once they return to who they truly are with a lesson of the importance of being true to their identity. After all, this person’s self is the one “who knows [them] by
heart,” and has been there throughout the person’s “life”, despite being “ignored.” This notion shows understanding and commitment, and joy will come when this
person embraces who they are once again.

Fourth Stanza
Continued are the things that can be “take[n] down” in the wake of this bad relationship, such as “photographs” and “desperate notes.” Basically, Walcott is telling
this person to cleanse from all aspects of the poor experience to prepare for this moment of re-knowing their own being, and the idea that this approach is best is
referenced once more with the description of those “notes.” They are “desperate,” and though Walcott does not say whose “desperation” is penned there, the
prospect of it belonging to the person addressed is genuine. Nothing good has been said about this relationship for the “you” hearing this advice, so assuming that
this is an additional negative aspect for this “you” is a safe prospect.
After telling this person several things to leave behind in this stanza and the previous one, Walcott goes—via comma splice—into the advice of “peel your own
image from the mirror.” On first appearance, the statement can feel like a contrasting turn of events since the speaker has said, over and over, that this person’s self
is what they can depend on and what can make them happy. Remember, though, that in prior lines, Walcott is referencing the reintroduction of the whole person,
not just one “image.” This one “image” is likely the “mirror” reflection of this person as they grieve over the relationship that is so heart-breaking. If this is the
case, Walcott is instructing this person to get past this grief—this moment that is reflected in “the mirror”—and think on other things that are more connected to
who they are. Rather than sulk, then, the “you” in question should focus on their own self, “[their own] life,” and hold to the goodness that exists outside of this
relationship for comfort.
Essentially, Walcott is saying to look past even the immediate grief of the breakup in favour of reflecting on the good, personal things. In doing so, this person can
start walking toward a better life, and one day, they will find their way back to knowing who they are once again. In that moment when “they will greet their own
self arriving at their own door and in their own mirror,” they will find true happiness, something that cannot exist without embracing who they are.

About Derek Walcott

First published at the age of only 14, Derek Walcott is a poet, playwright, and painter who has been awarded the Nobel Prize and the Queen’s Medal for Poetry.
Through the strength of his works, his status in the writing world is still relevant decades after his writing debut. Mostly a 20 th century writer, Walcott passed away
in 2017, leaving behind a number of written works to his credit.
Summary of “Love After Love” by Derek Walcott

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A time comes when a person has a deep sense of self-realization and it is the time when he is able to reconnect and rediscover his own lost self. He begins to like
himself for what he is and stops looking for love in the outside world. This is a state of ecstasy and elation.
When a person is able to connect to himself more closely than he did before, he is able to appreciate his being and can love himself. The idea behind the poem is to
seek love in oneself than looking for it in others. The biblical meaning of it is that one should not look for perfection as a parameter for love. A person may have
different opinions and beliefs, but until you look inside yourself and love yourself, nothing will look perfect to you.
Smiling at own self in the mirror is an expression of discovering oneself truly. The poet suggests that a person’s inner self and he will be in great joy to see each
other which clearly depicts the feeling of self-love. Dinner with self implies spiritual fulfillment. The imbiber can fulfill themselves by having wine and bread as
instilled by Jesus.
The poet has tried to relate self-realization as the path towards God-realization. The words ‘Stranger who was’ has been used to stress upon the fact that heartbreak
can leave a person shattered and deprived of self-awareness. If a person begins to see his image with love and appreciation, he will definitely start loving this
stranger who he was himself.
ADVERTISEMENTS:
A person’s inner soul always loves it more than any other person. But he often ignores his real self and values the other person more than it. He doesn’t appreciate
himself just because of his love for the other person. But to live with the new love, i.e. love for himself, the person must forget his previous love which he
developed for the other person. Then only he can see his own worth and praise himself more than anyone else.
The poet has tried to suggest ways for the person to get rid of the love for the other person. It is urged the person/reader to take out all the love letters, photographs,
desperate notes that he may have written or which carry the memories of his past love and remove them. By removing these symbols, the poet wants to free the
reader from the burden of a past relationship which will come in his way of self-love if he doesn’t get rid of it. Also, the person/reader should try to imbibe self love
by capturing his own lost self-image from the mirror. It is a symbolic way to suggest that the person must start thinking well about his own self and attain sense of
self-respect and love.
The central idea of the poem revolves around a person/reader who has disliked himself for a long period of time. The poet has inspired him through his words to
accept himself as he is and stop wanting to be like someone else.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Derek Walcott is a West Indian poet and playwright, who won the 1992 Nobel Prize in Literature for his depiction of Caribbean life and culture in the
post-colonial era. Born into a family of English, Dutch and African descent and fed from childhood with English classics, he has inherited the richness
of mixed cultures and this he has depicted in his vast oeuvre of plays and poems. Initially trained as a painter, he self-published his first book of poems
at the age of eighteen and gained international acclaim as a poet by the age of thirty-two. Although he mostly wrote on the vivid landscape and culture
of his homeland, many of his works also express his isolation, resulting from a conflict between his western education and the black folk traditions in
which he had been nurtured from childhood. He has been equally active as a playwright, producing around thirty plays. He was also a successful
academician, teaching at various American universities. In spite of his success, both his professional and domestic lives have been quite stormy and he
was short of money till he received the Nobel Prize.
 Alton Walcott was born on January 23, 1930 in the colonial city of Castries, located in the eastern Caribbean island of St. Lucia into a family of mixed
descent. While both his grandfathers were whites, both his grandmothers were descendants of African slaves, brought to the island centuries ago.
 His father, Warwick Walcott, was a civil servant by profession, but by avocation he was a watercolorist and a poet. He was of bohemian nature and died
at age 31 from mastoiditis. His mother, Alix Walcott, was a teacher at the local Methodist school and raised their three children singlehandedly.
 Apart from a twin brother Roderick, who would eventually become an established playwright, Derek had an elder sister named Pamela. They grew up in
a house full of books, paintings and recorded music and spoke an English-French patois.
 At that time, the territory was under British dominance and the official language was English. However, signs of earlier French rule were still there and
majority of the population was Roman Catholics as established by the French. Being Methodist, young Derek often felt like an outsider in his own land.
 As a young boy, he would often go out to watch the poor people living in shanties; some of whom would later appear in his autobiographical poem,
‘Another Life’. He also found the sea, with its different moods and legends, fishermen and schooners, and sounds of the sea, very fascinating.
 In time, Derek was admitted to St. Mary’s College, which at that time was the only secondary school in the city. Here he began to study English and
soon became fascinated by English poems. Soon, like many of his generation, he too began to consider English his own language.
 His mother, Alix, was also very fond of English classics, especially Shakespeare and would often read them out to her children. In this way, an
appreciation for poetry and drama began to be instilled in him early in his life.
 Although he took up English as his language, he was equally conscious about British imperialism and its policies on slavery in the previous centuries.
Therefore, he grew an ambivalent attitude, which would one day influence his writings.
 Like his father, Derek also had an aptitude for painting and started being trained in the art by Harold Simmons, the famed artist, who was also a
historian, archeologist, and expert in local folklore. Mentored by him, young Derek learned to appreciate his heritage.
 He began to write poetry early in his life, having his first poem published at the age of fourteen in a local periodical. Titled ‘1944’, it was a Miltonic
religious poem consisting of forty-four lines of blank verse. Although the Catholic clergy condemned it as blasphemous, he did not stop.
 By 1948, he had a number of poems ready for publication; but there was no publisher to publish them. Undeterred, he borrowed $200 from his mother
and self-published his first collection of poems, titled ’25 Poems’. He then sold the copies at the street corner and paid back the amount.
 In 1949, Derek Walcott published his second book, ‘Epitaph for the Young: XII Cantos’. By now, he had also written two dramas, ‘Henri Christophe: A
Chronicle’ and ‘Henri Dernier’. The later was broadcast over radio in 1950. But tired of attacks by the clergy, he now decided to leave the island.
 In 1950, he moved to Kingston, Jamaica, where he enrolled at the University College of West Indies on a Colonial Development and Welfare
scholarship. The institution, though established only two years ago, had already started attracting students from all parts of Caribbean and Derek began
to flourish in its congenial environment.
 Coming from a small town, he also found Kingston to be an amazing place. There were good theatres, fine art galleries and gifted poets, writers and
artists, with whom he loved to interact and whom he later came to know well.
 In Kingston, along with his university education, he pursued his literary ambition and wrote a number of poems and plays. In addition, he also published
poetry, art criticism, and essays in different periodicals like ‘Trinidad Guardian’ and ‘Jamaica’s Public Opinion.’ In 1953, he received his bachelor’s
degree.
4. WHEN I WAS ONE AND TWENTY
- A. E. Housman's lyric, "When I was one-and-twenty," consists of two rimed stanzas of eight lines each. The rime scheme is ABCBCDAD in the
first stanza and ABCBADAD in the second stanza. This poem appears #XIII in Housman's collection titled A Shropshire Lad, along with "To an
athlete dying young," which offers a view point regarding death. In Housman's "When I was one-and-twenty," the speaker at age twenty-two
reports the truth of sage advice he received at age twenty-one about falling in love.
- In Housman's "When I was one-and-twenty," the speaker at age twenty-two reports the truth of sage advice he received at age twenty-one about
falling in love.
- First Stanza: Give All but the Heart
- WhenI was one-and-twenty
I heard a wise man say,
‘Give crowns and pounds and guineas
But not your heart away;
Give pearls away and rubies
But keep your fancy free.’
But I was one-and-twenty,
No use to talk to me.
- The speaker, a young man only twenty-one years old, enters his reportage with a quotation that he says he heard spoken likely by a much older
man; according to the speaker, he "heard a wise man say." The wise man's words were meant to give advice regarding the issue of falling in love.
Because the older man is speaking to a young man (or perhaps a group of young men), he addresses an issue that would likely be quite relevant to
young people of that age group.
- The sage advises that the younger men should never "give [their] heart[s] away"—that is, they should guard against falling in love. He tells them it
is fine to give away things such as money but that they must at all costs keep their hearts. The young speaker of the poem has either heard that
advice directly or indirectly from the so-called "wise man." That same wise man also advised that giving gifts to a prospective paramour was fine
as long as the giver kept his wits about him and was not tricked into losing his own good judgment.
- The older, wiser man makes it clear to the those younger and less experienced that maintaining one's emotional and mental well being is of
paramount importance. He hopes to make the younger ones understand that they must never allow another person to invade and possess their lives.
The young speaker however also makes it known that he did not follow that sage advice. He was like most young people who are head-strong,
believing they know best, not allowing older folks to influence them. This younger speaker simply disdains the older man's advice, taking his
chances with the future.
- Second Stanza: Sage Advice
- When I was one-and-twenty
I heard him say again,
‘The heart out of the bosom
Was never given in vain;
’Tis paid with sighs a plenty
And sold for endless rue.’
And I am two-and-twenty,
And oh, ’tis true, ’tis true.
- The young speaker reports further that the older speaker had advised that allowing oneself to fall in love would have consequences. The younger
speaker is now musing on that advice. The speaker recalls that the sage had told him about the sorrow that would be experienced if the young man
did not heed the advice of the older.
- Now the speaker has aged a year and allowed himself to become entangled by giving away his heart. He has become a victim of lost love and now
realizes that the advice he had been given was correct. By giving his heart away, the young speaker is now paying the price with pain, sorrow, as
he continues to sigh and cry and muse on that sage advice that he now wishes he had followed.
- Analysis of the poem "When I Was One-and-Twenty" by A. E. Housman
- This poem was written by A.E. Houseman. “When I was One-and-Twenty” was published in 1896. Housman’s remarkable love poem, “When I
Was One-and-Twenty”, is simple and elegant. There are many of his poems in the collection titled “A Shropshire Lad”. He writes of youth
typically not heeding wise advice. There are two possible reasons for his failure to act. The first possibility is that he did not recognize the wisdom
of the wise man until he turned older “two-and-twenty” (line 15). The other possibility is that the poem’s speaker did realize that it was a good
 advice at the time but was helpless to do anything about it because he was too young. Both of these ways of looking at the phrase “a wise man”
(line 2) illustrate the same thing about knowledge. So it can only be absorbed when one is ready for it.
- This poem consists of two rimed stanzas of eight lines each. So this poem is called Octave or Octet because each stanza consists of 8 lines. The
rhyme scheme is ABCBCDAD in the first stanza and the rhyme scheme in the second stanza is: ABCBADAD. The end rhymes in the poem are
considered perfect or full rhymes, such as in “say” (line 2) and “away” (line 4). The poem also contains some near rhymes within individual lines
of the poem; for example, “crowns” and “pounds” in line 3, and “not” and “heart” in line 4. The poem also has certain rhythm – each of even-
numbered lines contains six syllables and each of the odd-numbered lines contains seven syllables – giving the poem a musicality. All of the even-
numbered lines of this poem contain three segment, which is called iambic trimester. All of the odd-numbered lines of this poem contain one extra
unaccented syllable in the final segment, creating what is called feminine ending.
- This poem includes repetition in the poetic devices because there are repetition of words and phrases; “When I was one-and-twenty” (line 1and
line 9), “I heard” (in line 2 and line 10), the word “but” (in line 4, 6, and line 7), and the words “and” (in line 14, 15, and line 16).
- This poem begins with the speaker recounting the advice given to him from an older man. Housman’s use of “one-and-twenty” (line 1) instead of
twenty-one contributes to the lyrical style of the poem as well as the assonance “Give crowns and pounds and guineas” (line 3), and alliteration
“But keep your fancy free” (line 6).
- Advice given to a youth is a notice in the form of a warning, which makes the poem’s imagery and emotions more immediate. A wise person can
be thought to be one who has already experienced the pain of a lost or unrequited love. The inherent message in the warning is that though you
need money to buy food and shelter “Give crowns and pounds and guineas, / But not your heart away; / Give pearls away and rubies / But keep
your fancy free” (line 3-6.), it would be better to go without these material objects that keep us alive than to suffer in love.
- This poem conveys the message that a person in love is not free, that one must avoid giving their heart to another in order to keep their “fancy
free” (line 6). The speaker’s use of “but” in “But I was one-and-twenty, / No use to talk to me” (line 7-8) denotes his realization of his
youthfulness, thus foreshadowing a later fact.
- The second stanza begins with a repetition of the first line of the poem “When I was one-and-twenty” (line 9), denoting that the second stanza will
be a continuation of the ideas first presented in the first stanza. The speaker tells us that he was warned more than once “I heard him say again”
(line 10) substantiates this notion.
- On the one hand, Houseman uses the word “paid” in line 13, continuing the imagery of material objects in contrast with love - nothing is harder to
give away than one’s heart “The heart out of the bosom / Was never given in vain / Tis paid with sighs a plenty / And sold for endless rue” (line
11-14). Falling in love, on the other hand, does take one’s freedom, and therefore leaves a person in misery, or “endless rue” (line 14).
- The final line of the poem Housman completes the speaker’s monologue with the wise man’s warnings. Ironically, just one year older “And I am
two-and-twenty” (line 15) and apparently now more experienced, speaker suggests the intensity of the woe and sorrow felt, while begins his
expression with the word “Oh” (line 16) and repeats the phrase “’Tis true, ‘tis true” (line 16).
- The message of this poem seems to be that the effect of surviving one’s (first) love is to be elevated into the ranks of wise people who have already
seen the light.
- Both stanzas are very similar. They are talking of the same subject and using similar language. However, in the first stanza, the speaker comes off
as a brash youth “I was one-and-twenty, / No use to talk to me” (line 7-8) while in the second stanza, Housman makes it clear that with age the
speaker has gained maturity and learned a valuable lesson about life and love “I am two-and-twenty, / And oh, ‘tis true, ‘tis true” (line 15-16).
- The idea of money is an interesting way to explain the trials of love, using money-language: “crowns, pound, guineas, pearls, rubies, paid and
sold”. Nevertheless, a young man, according to the “wise man” must guard against having his life taken over by his material possessions and
other’s opinions, but his mental and emotional life.
- From the first stanza-\"give crown and pounds and guineas but not your heart away\", it means that you can give all material things but not your
good personality because your personality makes you different & unique from the other.\"give pearls and rubies but keep your fancy free\", this
lines pertains to the things that are very precious to each one of us and it says that we can give up those things but not our creativity because this is
the only thing that we could be proud of being artistic and creative are the basis of uniqueness.
- The second stanza is also an advice from a wise man but this is not referring to the material things that might ruin one's life. It's more of moral
advices and there are lines that remind us how to deal with our emotions. We should live our lives to the fullest but not to the extent that we
violate the rights of others.
- This poem is very succinct, with meaning that goes well beyond the actual words written. Housman’s use of money-language: “crowns, pounds,
guineas, pearls, rubies, paid, and sold” all serve metaphorically towards the price each of us pays when gambling with love. The idea of money
and currency is an interesting way to explain the trials of love. Overall, Housman’s “When I Was One-and-Twenty” is a comical verse about the
futility of love, youth, experience, and the irony in living life.
- The advice the speaker is given is to give away almost anything, with “crowns and pounds and guineas,” and “pearls and rubies” symbolizing any
material object, before he gives away his heart/love. The second stanza begins with a repetition of the first line of the poem, denoting that the
second stanza will be a continuation of the ideas first presented in the first stanza.
- The moral value from the poem is we should live our lives to the fullest but not to the extent that we violate the rights of others and it reminds us
how to deal with our emotions.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A.E. Housman, in full Alfred Edward Housman, (born March 26, 1859, Fockbury, Worcestershire, Eng.—died April 30, 1936,
Cambridge), English scholar and celebrated poet whose lyrics express a Romanticpessimism in a spare, simple style.
Housman, whose father was a solicitor, was one of seven children. He much preferred his mother; and her death on his 12th birthday was a cruel blow, which is
surely one source of the pessimism his poetryexpresses. While a student at Oxford, he was further oppressed by his dawning realization of homosexual desires.
These came to focus in an intense love for one of his fellow students, an athletic young man who became his friend but who could not reciprocate his love. In
turmoil emotionally, Housman failed to pass his final examination at Oxford, although he had been a brilliant scholar.
From 1882 to 1892 he worked as a clerk in the Patent Office in London. In the evenings he studied Latin texts in the British Museumreading room and developed
a consummate gift for correcting errors in them, owing to his mastery of the language and his feeling for the way poets choose their words. Articles he wrote for
journals caught the attention of scholars and led to his appointment in 1892 as professor of Latin at University College, London.
Apparently convinced that he must live without love, Housman became increasingly reclusive and for solace turned to his notebooks, in which he had begun to
write the poems that eventually made up A Shropshire Lad (1896). For models he claimed the poems of Heinrich Heine, the songs of William Shakespeare, and the
Scottish border ballads. Each provided him with a way of expressing emotion clearly and yet keeping it at a certain distance. For the same purpose, he assumed in
his lyrics the unlikely role of farm labourer and set them in Shropshire, a county he had not yet visited when he began to write the first poems. The popularity of A
Shropshire Lad grew slowly but so surely that Last Poems (1922) had astonishing success for a book of verse.
5. RICHARD CORY
- When Richard Cory came into our lower class neighborhood, everyone stood aside and watched him. He was a complete gentleman, inside and
out.
- He dressed neatly and conservatively. Even though he spoke to us on our level, people got excited when he spoke to them.\
- He was very, very rich. He was educated and proper. In short, we held him on top of a pedestal, and dreamed of being up there with him. We
worked hard, sacrificing and striving for a position next to him. Then, Richard Cory unexpectedly killed himself.
- A narrative poem, “Richard Cory,” is the story of a man who seems to have it all. The people of the town, who are clearly of a lower financial
class, place Richard Cory on a pedestal. They look up to him and want to be just like him. In the end though, they learn a valuable life lesson.
Richard Cory kills himself, showing the people of the town that some things can’t be purchased and that looks can be deceiving. The central idea,
or theme, of “Richard Cory” is that wealth and status don’t ensure happiness.
- Robinson uses connotation extensively to place Richard Cory high on a pedestal above the townspeople. Connotation is the use of words to
suggest meanings beyond the dictionary definition. To lower the townspeople, Robinson places them “downtown.” This suggests that Richard
Cory is coming down, or lowering himself, to the level of the townspeople when he comes into town. He also places people on the “pavement,”
which is lower than the sidewalk where Richard Cory most likely walks. Robinson positions the characters to show the differences in their
financial status. He also shows that it is the townspeople, and not Cory, that seem to define these positions.
- Richard Cory is a poem which shows why we should not judge people on appearances as it subverts our expectations in the final line. Regarding
the structure and form, the poem is written in four quatrains written in iambic pentameter with a simple ABAB rhyme scheme. The language is
straightforward though quietly stirring. The fact that the rhythm and rhyme are so consistent throughout makes the revelation at the end of stanza
four all the more shocking. There is almost a conversational tone to the poem, since each stanza beings simply. The frequent use of ‘and’ adds to
this effect, loading detail upon detail as the speaker tells the sorry tale of Richard Cory.
- First Stanza
- Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
 He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favoured, and imperially slim.
- This is our introduction to the eponymous character, Richard Cory. He is held in great esteem by the townspeople. This is clear as he attracts their
attention for they ‘looked at him’ and noted that “He was a gentleman from sole to crown’. The final line of this stanza suggests that he was a
morally upright fellow, and the adjective ‘imperially’ implies that he carries a sense of grace and regality about his person.
-
- Second Stanza
- And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good Morning!” and he glittered when he walked.
- The repetition of ‘And he was always’ shows a consistency and warmth of character. The fact that ‘he was always human’ indicates his sincerity.
Despite his wealth and good looks he talked to people without condescension or pretension. However, this does not stop him causing a stir when
he wishes them “Good Morning!” The exclamation mark suggests that he has a genuine pleasure in meeting others. The verb ‘glittered’ is
ambiguous as it hints at both his sparkling personality, but in the literal sense it could be his watch or other accoutrements which glint when they
catch the sunlight.
- Although he was ‘quietly arrayed’ there was something intoxicating about his person which meant that as he passed he ‘fluttered pulses’. We have
the immediate image of young ladies catching their breaths and fanning themselves as he passed, and the men looking on wistfully, wishing that
they possessed something of his wealth and charm.
-
- Third Stanza
- And he was rich — yes, richer than a king —
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
- After suggesting that he came from a monied background, we are now informed that this was indeed the case, and the dashes in the line serve to
emphasise the point. The assertion ‘yes’ and the comparative line ‘richer than a king’ snare the interest of the reader. We wonder how this man has
made his fortune and picture some dashing Gatsby-like character. However, unlike Jay Gatsby who rose to wealth through illegal means such as
gambling and bootlegging, Richard Cory appears to have acquired his riches through hereditary means, by the reference to a king, or perhaps
through business. A doubt is sown in our minds in line three of this stanza where the speaker states ‘We thought that he was everything’. This
alerts us to the fact that all may not be well, and also reminds us of the old adage, ‘be careful what you wish for.’ The final monosyllabic line with
its frequent alliteration propels us along to the poem’s conclusion.

- Fourth Stanza
- So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
- In this stanza the speaker alludes to the difficulties faced by the other inhabitants of the town. The ‘so’ at the beginning almost carries a sigh, to
suggest fatigue and hardship. There is an obvious discrepancy between the life led by the gentleman, Richard Cory, and the people who look up to
him. While he ‘allegedly’ enjoys the good life, the others struggle. This is conveyed through the long drawn out assonance and the repeated ‘w’
sounds in the first two lines of the stanza. They have insufficient money even to have access to the most basic of goods, since the ‘went without
the meat and cursed the bread’, which was obviously of poor quality and lacking in nourishment. Even the word ‘cursed’ stands out here, as it
seems ill-fitting after the descriptions of Cory.
- There is thus a disparity between their lives and that of Cory, except they are not alone in their suffering. Such are his demons, that he shocks them
all, by returning home from one of his strolls in town ‘and put a bullet through his head’. The reader is left speechless by this revelation, and the
fact that this event is preceded by the line ‘one calm summer night’ further compounds their shock.
- We are left wondering what on earth could have preempted the suicide from a man who appeared to have everything, including the respect of the
townspeople.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Edwin Arlington Robinson
Richard Cory by Edwin Arlington Robinson
Richard Cory is a poem which shows why we should not judge people on appearances as it subverts our expectations in the final line. Regarding the structure and
form, the poem is written in four quatrains written in iambic pentameter with a simple ABAB rhyme scheme. The language is straightforward though quietly
stirring. The fact that the rhythm and rhyme are so consistent throughout makes the revelation at the end of stanza four all the more shocking. There is almost a
conversational tone to the poem, since each stanza beings simply. The frequent use of ‘and’ adds to this effect, loading detail upon detail as the speaker tells the
sorry tale of Richard Cory.
Richard Cory Analysis
First Stanza
Whenever Richard Cory went down town,
We people on the pavement looked at him:
He was a gentleman from sole to crown,
Clean-favoured, and imperially slim.
This is our introduction to the eponymous character, Richard Cory. He is held in great esteem by the townspeople. This is clear as he attracts their attention for they
‘looked at him’ and noted that “He was a gentleman from sole to crown’. The final line of this stanza suggests that he was a morally upright fellow, and the
adjective ‘imperially’ implies that he carries a sense of grace and regality about his person.

Second Stanza
And he was always quietly arrayed,
And he was always human when he talked;
But still he fluttered pulses when he said,
“Good Morning!” and he glittered when he walked.
The repetition of ‘And he was always’ shows a consistency and warmth of character. The fact that ‘he was always human’ indicates his sincerity. Despite his
wealth and good looks he talked to people without condescension or pretension. However, this does not stop him causing a stir when he wishes them “Good
Morning!” The exclamation mark suggests that he has a genuine pleasure in meeting others. The verb ‘glittered’ is ambiguous as it hints at both his sparkling
personality, but in the literal sense it could be his watch or other accoutrements which glint when they catch the sunlight.
Although he was ‘quietly arrayed’ there was something intoxicating about his person which meant that as he passed he ‘fluttered pulses’. We have the immediate
image of young ladies catching their breaths and fanning themselves as he passed, and the men looking on wistfully, wishing that they possessed something of his
wealth and charm.

Third Stanza
And he was rich — yes, richer than a king —
And admirably schooled in every grace:
In fine, we thought that he was everything
To make us wish that we were in his place.
After suggesting that he came from a monied background, we are now informed that this was indeed the case, and the dashes in the line serve to emphasise the
point. The assertion ‘yes’ and the comparative line ‘richer than a king’ snare the interest of the reader. We wonder how this man has made his fortune and picture
some dashing Gatsby-like character. However, unlike Jay Gatsby who rose to wealth through illegal means such as gambling and bootlegging, Richard
Cory appears to have acquired his riches through hereditary means, by the reference to a king, or perhaps through business. A doubt is sown in our minds in line
three of this stanza where the speaker states ‘We thought that he was everything’. This alerts us to the fact that all may not be well, and also reminds us of the old
adage, ‘be careful what you wish for.’ The final monosyllabic line with its frequent alliteration propels us along to the poem’s conclusion.
Related poetry: The Mill by Edwin Arlington Robinson

Fourth Stanza
So on we worked, and waited for the light,
And went without the meat, and cursed the bread;
And Richard Cory, one calm summer night,
Went home and put a bullet through his head.
In this stanza the speaker alludes to the difficulties faced by the other inhabitants of the town. The ‘so’ at the beginning almost carries a sigh, to suggest fatigue and
hardship. There is an obvious discrepancy between the life led by the gentleman, Richard Cory, and the people who look up to him. While he ‘allegedly’ enjoys the
good life, the others struggle. This is conveyed through the long drawn out assonance and the repeated ‘w’ sounds in the first two lines of the stanza. They have
insufficient money even to have access to the most basic of goods, since the ‘went without the meat and cursed the bread’, which was obviously of poor quality and
lacking in nourishment. Even the word ‘cursed’ stands out here, as it seems ill-fitting after the descriptions of Cory.
There is thus a disparity between their lives and that of Cory, except they are not alone in their suffering. Such are his demons, that he shocks them all, by returning
home from one of his strolls in town ‘and put a bullet through his head’. The reader is left speechless by this revelation, and the fact that this event is preceded by
the line ‘one calm summer night’ further compounds their shock.
We are left wondering what on earth could have preempted the suicide from a man who appeared to have everything, including the respect of the townspeople.
- ABOUT THE AUHOR: Edwin Arlington Robinson, (1869-1935) was a Pulitzer Prize winning poet who was also nominated for the Nobel prize for literature.
He was born in Maine but had an unhappy childhood since his parents seemed largely indifferent to him. His siblings went on to suffer great hardship through
addiction to alcohol and drugs, and Robinson’s poetry often dwelt on bleak themes, perhaps based on these first hand experiences. Many think that the
poem Richard Cory could have been based upon his brother who came to an inauspicious end when his business collapsed.
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