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Kaleidoscope

5
Poem

To See Him Again

Gabriela Mistral

Intro
Gabriela Mistral is the pseudonym of the famous Chilean poet Lucila Godoy Alcayaga (1889
– 1957). She was the first Latin American poet to receive Nobel Prize in Literature in 1945.
She wrote beautiful lyric poetry inspired by powerful emotions. This lyric poetry has made
her name a symbol of the idealistic aspirations of the entire Latin American world.”
The poem, ‘To See Him Again’ by Gabriela Mistral, depicts the intense grief and
trauma following the loss of a beloved. The speaker is shattered when she confronts the
reality that she is unable to reunite with her lover.

Summary
The speaker asks whether she will never again be able to see her beloved; whether she
will see never see him at starry nights, or at dawns, or at sunset? Whether she can never see
him in places such as at the edge of a pale road around the farm fields, or near a fountain
white under the moon. Nor can she see him under the trees in the forest at the fall of night?
Nor in the caves that return the echoes of her words. The speaker says that she must see her
beloved again, wherever he is, whether it is in heaven, or hell, or still moon or in bloodless
fright. She wants to be together with him united around his blood-stained neck every
springtime and winter.

Short Answer
1. What is the central idea of the poem?
The poem, ‘To See Him Again’ by Gabriela Mistral, depicts the intense grief and
trauma following the loss of a beloved. The speaker is shattered when she confronts the
reality that she is unable to reunite with her lover.

2. What does the speaker wish for?

The speaker wishes for reunion with her beloved by overcoming the obstacles that
keep them apart.

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3. Which are the unlikely places of union mentioned in the poem?

The unlikely places of union mentioned in the poem are the edge of a road around the
farm fields, and the rim of a fountain whitened by a moon. The poem also mentions the forest
at the fall of night and the caverns that return the echo of her words.

4. What do ‘heaven’s dead water’ and ‘boiling hole’ suggest?

The poem comes to a close with a glimmer of hope and the possibility of reunion. The
narrator says that she must see her beloved again, no matter where. She must see him even if
he is in the sky or in the moon; or in heaven, or hell.

5. What does the ‘painted knot around his bloody neck’ suggest?
The poet wishes to have a reunion with her dear-departed beloved. The expression
suggests that she just wishes to lose herself in her loved one, like an anguished knot around
his bloodstained neck. It suggests a deep emotional bond that transcends physical boundaries.

Paragraph
1. How does the poet express her deep trauma of loss?
In the poem, ‘To See Him Again’, the poet Gabriela Mistral expresses her
intense grief at the loss of her beloved. The poet is shattered when she confronts the reality
that she is unable to reunite with her lover. No matter how unpleasant the circumstances are,
she just wishes to have her lover nearby. With the help of imagery, repetition, and metaphor,
Mistral creates a moving tribute to the person who has passed away. She struggles to come to
terms with the death of her loved one. She wants to be together with him united around his
blood-stained neck every springtime and winter.

2. What are the possible challenges that she is ready to face?

In the poem, ‘To See Him Again’, the poet Gabriela Mistral expresses her intense
grief after the loss of her beloved. The poet is shattered when she confronts the reality that
she is unable to reunite with her lover. She is ready to face any challenge to see him again.
The speaker says that she must see her beloved again. She must see him wherever he is,
whether it is in heaven, or hell, or still moon or in bloodless fright. She wants to be together
with him united around his blood-stained neck every springtime and winter.

3. What are the images and metaphors used in the poem to suggest the grief and loss?
Gabriela Mistral's ‘To See Him Again’ is a powerful emotive poem that captures the
intense grief felt by the speaker after the loss of a loved one. The poet uses vivid imagery to
convey the speaker's feelings. The opening lines of the poem sets the scene. The reader is
transported to a time and place where the speaker and her loved one were happy and together.
The speaker is reluctant to confront the reality. She holds onto the memory of her beloved.
The expression “painted knot around his bloody neck” suggests that she just wishes to lose

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herself in her loved one. It also suggests a deep emotional bond that transcends physical
boundaries.

4. How does the poet try to convey the extreme emotions that she experiences?
Gabriela Mistral's ‘To See Him Again’ is a powerful emotive poem that captures the
intense grief felt by the speaker after the loss of a loved one. The poet conveys her extreme
emotions by employing devices such as imagery and metaphor. At the very start of the poem,
the reader is transported to a time and place where the speaker and her loved one were happy
and together. The speaker is not ready to accept the reality. She holds onto the memory of her
beloved. She says she must see him wherever he is, whether it is in heaven, or hell. She wants
to be together with him united around his blood-stained neck every springtime and winter.

Essay
Q. Describe “To See Him Again” as a poem that explores the themes of love and loss.

‘To See Him Again’ by Gabriela Mistral is a poem about the themes of love and loss.
It depicts the intense grief and trauma following the loss of a beloved. The speaker is
shattered when she confronts the reality that she is unable to reunite with her lover.
The speaker is in a mood of longing to unite with her beloved. She cannot bear to be
apart from her beloved any longer. She asks whether she will never again be able to see him.
She wonders if she will be able to see him at starry nights, or at dawn, or at sunset?
The speaker also thinks if she will never see him in places like the edge of a road
around the farm fields, or a rim of a fountain white under the moon. She also doubts if she
can never see him under the trees in the forest at the fall of night? Nor in the caves that return
the echoes of her words.
The poem comes to a close with a glimmer of hope and the possibility of reunion. The
narrator says that she must see her beloved again. She must see him wherever he is, whether
it is in heaven, or hell, or still moon or in bloodless fright. She wants to be together with him
united around his blood-stained neck every springtime and winter, never to leave him again.
In this way, the poem captures the intense grief felt by the speaker after the loss of a
loved one. It tells about the pain of separation and the longing for reunion.

Prepared by:
Prof. MURUKAN BABU C.R.
(formerly) Associate Professor of English
Panampilly Memorial Govt. College
Chalakudy

email: mbabucr@gmail.com

https://www.youtube.com/@MurukanBabu