‘Waterfall’

Lauris Edmond
Theme and Tone

 Joyful moments in life are 'fast' as the

falling water from the waterfall (theme)
 Timeflies by when you are having fun
(theme)
 Repetition
of words emphasises the
movement of time (tone)
Structure

 Thepoem does not rhyme at all which

creates a flowing sensation
 thefirst character of each stanza is
capitalized, one long line to read.
 Personification –
time is the river,
can only go in one
direction
I do not ask for youth, nor for delay
Powerful Imagery –
in the rising of time's irreversible river picturesque view of
that takes the jewelled arc of the waterfall nature and life
in which I glimpse, minute by glinting
minute, Alliteration – the
all that I have and all I am always losing juxtaposition shows
a partial view,
as sunlight lights each drop fast, fast falling. narrator was more
minutes
Alliteration – repetition
shows sunlight as
happiness in life, times
flies quickly
Powerful Imagery –
accepts lost love is a Metaphor – lost
nostalgic memory memories of love,
but is natural like
green nature
I do not dream that you, young again,
Metaphor – bracken
might come to me darkly in love's green produced spores and
darkness sex cells (alternating
where the dust of the bracken spices the air generations). Link to
natural sexual desire
moss, crushed, gives out an astringent
sweetness
and water holds our reflections Juxtaposition – pause after
the comma shows a standstill
motionless, as if for ever. at the motion of the water.
Love for partner enough to
stop time, memories last
forever
Powerful Imagery –
life is metaphorically
moving from room to
room Metaphor – Eyes, over
time, see how love is
testing but accept it
It is enough now to come into a room
and find the kindness we have for each other
-- calling it love -- in eyes that are shrewd
but trustful still, face chastened by years Metaphor –
progressive poem,
of careful judgement; to sit in the afternoons
chronological life like
in mild conversation, without nostalgia. the flowing river

Metaphor – love is not the

same, similar to the
flowing current of the
river after the waterfall
Powerful Imagery –
loves her partner more
when he is not there

But when you leave me, with your jauntiness Personification –

sinewed by resolution more than strength alliteration
emphasises water
-- suddenly then I love you with a quick passes like time
intensity, remembering that water,
however luminous and grand, falls fast
and only once to the dark pool below. Metaphor – death,
loves him more
knowing that he
can’t come back