In fifteen days, as I believe
But in those fifteen days
I will have been losing my mind for another few years
Maybe the seas would be stormy
In another ninenty days, I would gather
But by those ninenty days
I will have been missing you for another few rains
In a dim lit cabin upon the hills, I shall sit
In another year of my forty's passing
But in the fourth of my forty
I will have been wilting everyday for another four years
Maybe the final bits of me died, that day
In the breezy evening of our falling apart
But the year that passed reminded me
I had been dying every step of the way.
Here is an analysis of the grammar used in the poem.
--------------------------
For Grammar:
Let's break down the poem line by line and analyze the tense of each verb:
**Stanza 1**
* **"At some point the moon shall fade"** -
* "shall fade" is **future tense (other persons)**, indicating an event that will inevitably happen at some unspecified time.
* **"In fifteen days, as I believe"** -
* "believe" is **present simple (other persons)**, expressing the speaker's current belief.
* **"But in those fifteen days"** -
* This phrase doesn't have a verb, but it introduces a timeframe using a prepositional phrase.
* **"I will have been losing my mind for another few years"** -
* "will have been losing" is **future perfect continuous tense**, indicating an action that started in the past (losing mind), is ongoing in the present, and will continue until a specific point in the future (fifteen days from now).
* "another few years" clarifies the duration of the ongoing action.
**Stanza 2**
* **"Maybe the seas would be stormy"** -
* "would be" is **conditional mood**, expressing a hypothetical situation where the seas are stormy.
* **"In another ninety days, I would gather"** -
* "would gather" is again **conditional mood**, suggesting a potential action the speaker might take.
* **"But by those ninety days"** -
* Similar to stanza 1, this phrase doesn't have a verb but introduces a timeframe.
* **"I will have been missing you for another few rains"** -
* "will have been missing" is **future perfect continuous tense**, indicating ongoing missing that started in the past and will continue for "a few rains."
**Stanza 3**
* **"In a dim lit cabin upon the hills, I shall sit"** -
* "shall sit" is **future tense (other persons)**, indicating a specific future action the speaker will take.
* **"In another year of my forties' passing"** -
* "passing" is a **present participle** describing an ongoing process ("my forties") within a larger timeframe.
* **"But in the fourth of my forty"** -
* This line is a bit ambiguous. It could be interpreted as:
* "in the fourth year of my forties" (**present perfect tense**) - This clarifies the timeframe within the speaker's forties.
* "by the time I reach the fourth year of my forties" (**future perfect tense**) - This puts the emphasis on reaching that specific year.
* **"I will have been wilting everyday for another four years"** -
* "will have been wilting" is **future perfect continuous tense**, indicating an ongoing decline ("wilting") that started in the past and will continue for another four years.
**Stanza 4**
* **"Maybe the final bits of me died, that day"** -
* "died" is **past simple tense**, indicating a specific event in the past (the speaker's metaphorical death).
* **"In the breezy evening of our falling apart"** -
* "falling apart" is a **present participle** describing a past event ("our falling apart").
* **"But the year that passed reminded me"** -
* "passed" and "reminded" are both **past simple tense**, indicating completed actions in the past.
* **"I had been dying every step of the way"** -
* "had been dying" is **past perfect continuous tense**, indicating an action that started in the distant past ("every step of the way") and continued until a specific point in the past (being reminded).
-------------
For analysis
## Analysis of the Poem and Comparison to 20th-Century Poets
The poem utilizes a variety of techniques to create a sense of despair, loss, and the passage of time. Let's break it down further:
**Themes:**
* **Mental Deterioration:** The speaker mentions "losing my mind" and "wilting everyday."
* **Longing and Loss:** The references to missing someone ("missing you") and the metaphorical death ("final bits of me died") highlight a sense of loss.
* **The Inevitability of Time:** The use of future and future perfect continuous tenses emphasize the relentless passage of time.
**Techniques:**
* **Tense Shifts:** The poem employs a variety of tenses, particularly future perfect continuous, to create a sense of ongoing decline and actions reaching a culmination point in the future.
* **Conditional Mood:** The use of "would" creates a sense of hypothetical situations that might not come to be, adding to the speaker's despair.
* **Imagery:** "Dim lit cabin," "breezy evening," and "seas would be stormy" paint a picture of isolation and potential turmoil.
* **Ambiguity:** Lines like "another few years" and "the fourth of my forty" create a sense of uncertainty about the timeframe, adding to the speaker's emotional state.
**Comparison to 20th-Century Poets:**
This poem shares some characteristics with several 20th-century movements:
* **Modernism:** The poem's fragmented structure, use of free verse, and focus on internal emotions are reminiscent of Modernist poetry, which often challenged traditional forms and explored individual alienation. Poets like T.S. Eliot ("The Waste Land") and Ezra Pound ("The Cantos") explored similar themes of fragmentation and societal decay.
* **Existentialism:** The sense of meaninglessness and despair resonates with Existentialist themes explored by poets like Jean-Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. The poem reflects on the speaker's struggle to find meaning in a seemingly indifferent world.
* **Confessional Poetry:** The poem's raw and personal exploration of loss and mental decline has similarities to Confessional poets like Sylvia Plath ("Daddy") and Anne Sexton ("Wintering"). These poets often bared their emotional vulnerabilities in their work.
**However, this poem also has its own unique qualities:**
* **Focus on Nature:** While the poem reflects on internal struggles, it also incorporates natural imagery ("seas," "rains"), adding a layer of symbolism and connection to the external world.
* **Emphasis on Time:** The poem's focus on the relentless passage of time and the future perfect continuous tense sets it apart from some other 20th-century poetry that might be more present-focused.
**Overall, the poem is a well-crafted piece that utilizes various techniques to explore themes of loss, despair, and the passage of time. It draws inspiration from 20th-century movements while maintaining its own distinctive voice.**
No comments:
Post a Comment