To an Athlete Dying Young by A.E. Housman

Text:

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

Today, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

Initial Reaction:

The poem is about a young athlete who dies in his prime. At the beginning of the poem, the author depicts the boy alive and well as the town cheered him on for winning the race. However, the rest of the poem laments the fact that the boy died at the height of his life.

Paraphrase:

The time you won the track race
The people of the town carried you through the market;
As all the people stood by cheering, Man
And brought you home on their shoulders. And

Today all the other runners come, Today
And we carry your coffin shoulder-high,
And set you down at your threshold,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart boy, to slip away,
From the land where glory is temporary,
And even though the trees grow
They die quicker than a rose.

Your shut eyes
Cannot see the record cut,
And the silence of the people that is no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not have to be on the same path
As boys who run out of glory,
Runners who outran the path
And whose glory died before them.

So you die before your glory fades,
The fast feet on the shades,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still possessed trophy.

And round that head
Will be the people that stare at the dead,
And find lying on the curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

SWIFTT:

SW: “To an Athlete Dying Young” is a lyric poem that has a rhyme scheme of aabb. The poem has simple structure of seven stanzas each with four lines. Words throughout the poem contain a somber and lamenting undertone in words such as “withers,” “eyes…shut,” and “echoes fade.” The somber words depict the death of the boy and the mourning that the town underwent due to his death.

I: The poem paints an image of a young boy who died at the height of his life. Not long before his death, the boy had won a race amidst the praises of his town. However, the boy died young, and the author paints a picture of the boy’s funeral as he describes the men holding the coffin “shoulder-high,” similar to the way they once hoisted the boy through the town after his win in the race. In addition, the narrator describes the people who “Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead.”

F: The poem repeats the word “shoulder-high” twice to symbolize the life and death of the young boy. The first time the word “shoulder-high” is mentioned, the boy is being carried on the shoulders of the men as they cheered him on for his win in the race. The second time the word “shoulder-high” is used the boy is being carried on the shoulders of men in his coffin.

T: The tone of the poem is somber as it depicts a young boy that died in the prime of his life. The somber tone of the poem can be seen in lines like “It withers quicker than the rose,” “Eyes the shady night has shut,” and “So set, before its echoes fade.”

T: The poem conveys the theme that when a person dies at the height of their glory or youth, people tend to romanticize the life of the person and what they could have achieved in life if they had not died. For example, the author stated that because the boy had died in his prime, he would never have to be like the boys who “wore their honours out” or the boys whose “name died before the man.” Instead, the author stated that the dead athlete would still be able to defend his “challenge-cup” in his death.

Conclusion:

The poem was about a young boy who died in the prime of his life. Prior to his death, the boy was hoisted “shoulder-high” by the men in his town as the people praised him for his win in the town race. However, shortly after the win, the boy died and was carried “shoulder-high” in his coffin. Through the simple nature and structure of the poem, the author conveys the message that when a person dies in their prime, they leave behind a romanticized image of what they could have become if they had lived.

The Solitary Reaper by William Wordsworth

Text:

Behold her, single in the field,
Yon solitary Highland Lass!
Reaping and singing by herself;
Stop here, or gently pass!
Alone she cuts and binds the grain,
And sings a melancholy strain;
O listen! for the Vale profound
Is overflowing with the sound.

No Nightingale did ever chaunt
More welcome notes to weary bands
Of travellers in some shady haunt,
Among Arabian sands:
A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard
In spring-time from the Cuckoo-bird,
Breaking the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what she sings?--
Perhaps the plaintive numbers flow
For old, unhappy, far-off things,
And battles long ago:
Or is it some more humble lay,
Familiar matter of to-day?
Some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That has been, and may be again?

Whate'er the theme, the Maiden sang
As if her song could have no ending;
I saw her singing at her work,
And o'er the sickle bending;--
I listened, motionless and still;
And, as I mounted up the hill,
The music in my heart I bore,
Long after it was heard no more.

Initial Reaction:

The poem is about a young girl who sings to herself while she works in the grain field. Throughout the poem, the narrator tells the readers about the beauty in the girl’s voice, and how “no Nightingale did ever chaunt” more beautifully than the girl. The narrator tells readers that if they ever have the chance to hear the girl sing, they should stop and listen, and he states that even after he had walked away from the girl, he could still hear “the music in [his] heart.”

Paraphrase:

Look at her, alone in the field,
The solitary girl in the highlands!
Harvesting and singing all alone;
Stop here, or keep walking quietly!
She cuts and binds the grain alone,
And sings a sad song;
Listen! For the deep song
Is overflowing with the sound.

A nightingale never sang
More lovely notes to tired passers
Of travelers in some dark worry,
Among Arabian sands:
No one has ever heard a voice so thrilling
From the cuckoo-bird in the spring
Cutting through the silence of the seas
Among the farthest Hebrides.

Will no one tell me what the song is that she sings?
Maybe the songs are sung
For old, sad things far away,
And battles of the past:
Or is it about some humble lay,
Of familiar subject matter of the day?
Or is it of some natural sorrow, loss, or pain,
That was there in the past, and might come up again?

Whatever the song is that the young girl sings
She sings as if the song will never end;
I saw her singing as she worked,
And over the sickles;
As I listened, I could not move;
And as I walked up the hill,
The sounds of the song was still in my heart,
Long after I could not hear it anymore.

SWIFTT:

SW: The poem is written in iambic tetrameter with a rhyme scheme of ababccdd. In addition, the poem contains multiple interjections such as “Yon solitary Highland Lass!” “Stop here, or gently pass!” and “O listen!” The interjections display the narrator’s excitement and entrancement when the young girl sings. Further, the author uses word choice to convey an earthy and slightly somber message. Earthy word choice seen throughout the poem includes “single in the field,” “grain,” “Highland,” “spring-time,” and “cuckoo-bird.” Somber word choice in the poem includes “melancholy strain,” “battles long ago,” and “natural sorrow, loss, or pain.”

I: The poem paints an earthy and pure image of a young girl singing to herself. The girl depicted in the poem was “reaping” and “[binding] the grain” as she sang to herself. The girl appears pure as she remains in solitude singing a beautiful song, but at the same time, the narrator suggests that the young girl could be singing about “old, unhappy, far-off things,” “battles long ago,” or “sorrow, loss, or pain.” Further, the readers can see earthy imagery as the author compares the girl’s singing to “a Nightingale” and a “cuckoo-bird.”

F: The poem personifies the young girl’s voice as something that had the power to “[break] the silence of the seas.”

T: The tone of the poem is admiring and somber. It is praising as the narrator praises the girl’s singing throughout the poem in lines like “A voice so thrilling ne'er was heard” and “The music in my heart I bore.” At the same time, the poem has a somber tone as the author suggests that the young girl is singing about “old, unhappy, far-off things,” “battles long ago,” or “sorrow, loss, or pain.”

T: The theme of the poem is that great beauty can be found in even the simplest of things—like a young girl’s voice. In the poem, the girl is never described to be particularly beautiful or gracious, but her singing is powerful enough to make the narrator listen “motionless and still.” Further, the author stated that not even the nightingales or cuckoo-birds could sing as beautifully as the girl. In addition, the simplistic language used in the poem in combination with the earthy images conveys the idea that loveliness and beauty can be found in simple forms.

Conclusion:

The poem is simplistic and earthy as it depicted a young girl singing to herself as she harvested the fields. Throughout the poem, the narrator describes the beautiful voice of the young girl and the impact that it has on him. The narrator even urges the readers to “Stop here, or gently pass” out of respect and admiration if they were to hear the young girl singing. At the same time, the poem contained some somber undertones as the narrator suggested that the young girl was singing about “old, unhappy, far-off things” or “battles long ago.”

Ode on a Grecian Urn by John Keates

Text:

Thou still unravish'd bride of quietness,
    Thou foster-child of silence and slow time,
Sylvan historian, who canst thus express
    A flowery tale more sweetly than our rhyme:
What leaf-fring'd legend haunt about thy shape
    Of deities or mortals, or of both,
        In Tempe or the dales of Arcady?
    What men or gods are these?  What maidens loth?
What mad pursuit?  What struggle to escape?
        What pipes and timbrels?  What wild ecstasy?

Heard melodies are sweet, but those unheard
    Are sweeter: therefore, ye soft pipes, play on;
Not to the sensual ear, but, more endear'd,
    Pipe to the spirit ditties of no tone:
Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave
    Thy song, nor ever can those trees be bare;
        Bold lover, never, never canst thou kiss,
Though winning near the goal - yet, do not grieve;
        She cannot fade, though thou hast not thy bliss,
    For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair!

Ah, happy, happy boughs! that cannot shed
    Your leaves, nor ever bid the spring adieu;
And, happy melodist, unwearied,
    For ever piping songs for ever new;
More happy love! more happy, happy love!
    For ever warm and still to be enjoy'd,
        For ever panting, and for ever young;
All breathing human passion far above,
    That leaves a heart high-sorrowful and cloy'd,
        A burning forehead, and a parching tongue.

Who are these coming to the sacrifice?
    To what green altar, O mysterious priest,
Lead'st thou that heifer lowing at the skies,
    And all her silken flanks with garlands drest?
What little town by river or sea shore,
    Or mountain-built with peaceful citadel,
        Is emptied of this folk, this pious morn?
And, little town, thy streets for evermore
    Will silent be; and not a soul to tell
        Why thou art desolate, can e'er return.

O Attic shape!  Fair attitude! with brede
    Of marble men and maidens overwrought,
With forest branches and the trodden weed;
    Thou, silent form, dost tease us out of thought
As doth eternity: Cold Pastoral!
    When old age shall this generation waste,
        Thou shalt remain, in midst of other woe
    Than ours, a friend to man, to whom thou say'st,
"Beauty is truth, truth beauty," - that is all
        Ye know on earth, and all ye need to know.

Initial Reaction:

My initial reaction after reading “Ode on a Grecian Urn” is that the poem is about a man reminiscing about the past. He is thinking about “maidens,” melodies,” “happy boughs,” and a “sacrifice” of the past, and I believe he is wishing that the people, sounds, and events were frozen in time so that they could be enjoyed forever.

Paraphrase:

The unchanging bride that will always be silent,
The foster-child that will always be silent as time passes slowly,
Sylvan historian, who will never be able to tell
A story more sweet than this rhyme:
What legends are in your being
Of gods or humans, or of both,
        In the worship place or the valleys of Arcadia?
What men or gods are these beings? What women are they?
What are they pursuing? What are they desperately trying to escape?
What and songs? What crazy excitement?

Songs that can be heard are beautiful, but those that cannot be heard
Are even more beautiful: therefore, silent instruments, keep playing;
Not for the light ear, but for the more emotionally devoted one,
Play to the spirit gods:
Young child, beneath the trees that you will never be able to leave
Your song, not even those trees are bare;
        Passionate lover, never will you be able to kiss,
Even though you are so close to winning over your love, but do not be sad;
Her beauty will never be able to diminish, even though you will never truly be able to get her,
You will always love her, and she will always be fair!

Ah, happy trees that cannot shed
    Your leaves, now ever move past the spring into a different season;
And happy musician, never tired,
   Forever playing songs that will always be new;
Happy love!
It will always be a new love and will always be enjoyed,
   It will always be exciting and young;
All humans everywhere,
That leaves sorrowful,
A high fever and a thirsty tongue.

Who are these people who have come to watch the sacrifice?
To what altar, mysterious priest,
Do you lead the sacrifice bowing under the skies,
    With her silk dress and garlands?
What is the small town by the shore,
Or the city built on the mountain,
Is emptied to watch this tragedy?
And, small town, your streets will always be
Silent, without a single person to tell    Will
  Where everyone in the town went and why they can never come back.

O the attic! Filled with
    Statues of men and women distraught,
With the branches of the forest and the weeds that have been trampled on;
The silence teases our mind
As does eternity: Cruel Pastoral!
    When old age deteriorates our generation,
        You will always be here, in the middle of our sorrows
A friend to people who say,
“Truth is in beauty, beauty is truth”—that is all
      you can know on earth, and that is all you need to know.

SWIFTT:

SW: The poem is composed of multiple apostrophes, such as “foster child,” “Sylvan historian,” and “unravished bride.” The apostrophes serve to identify the subject of the narrator’s thoughts before he began to tell a story about the characters. In addition, stanzas one and four are composed of a series of rhetorical questions. As the narrator asked more questions, readers can see that the narrator is becoming increasingly involved in the story he is telling. The poem has a rhyme scheme of ababcdcdef. Further, the poem conveys the idea that the images captured on the urn will never be able to make a sound through words like “quietness,” “silence,” and “unheard.”

I: The poem contains a plethora of imagery as the author described pictures painted on urns. For example, the author painted a picture in the reader’s mind of “happy boughs,” “happy melodist,” happy lovers, and a “sacrifice.” When describing the boughs, the author paints an image of a tree “that cannot shed [its] leaves” and can never “bid the spring adieu.” When describing the melodist, the author paints a picture of a man who loves music and will always be able to write pleasing and innovative songs. When describing the lovers, the author paints a picture of a “Bold Lover” chasing a “fair” woman. And when describing the sacrifice, the author paints an image of a girl clothed in “her silken flanks with garlands.” Further, the poem contains earthy imagery, such as “the trees,” the “happy boughs,” and the “green altar.”

F: The poem contains multiple allusions to the gods and “deities.” Further, the poem contains an allusion to the “dales of Arcady.” Further, at the end of the poem, the author personifies beauty as truth, and truth as beauty.

T: The tone of the poem is reflective and reminiscent. Throughout the poem the author speaks of lovers that will always be young, trees whose leaves will never fall, and musicians whose songs will never be heard. As the author describes each of the scenes, he conveys the idea that the pictures he paints will be forever preserved in their youthful glory. However, while the characters painted on the urn will remain forever young, the author and the other mortals of his generation will become “waste” with old age. Therefore, the author was reflecting the beauty and life painted on the urn, but also thinking about how he would age along with the rest of his generation.

T: The theme of the poem is that unlike the frozen images painted on urns, in reality, every mortal will age and progress in life. The urns are respected for the youthful, lively images painted on its surfaces like the “Bold lover,” “fair” woman, “happy boughs,” and “melodist.” However, because the characters are only images on an urn, the lover will never be able to kiss the woman of his dreams, the boughs will never be able to shed its leaves, and the melodist’s songs will never be heard. But at the same time, all the subjects of the pictures on the urn will always be free from the constraints of time and aging, and they will remain forever young. At the same time, the author will continue to age over time, and he is not free from the constraints of aging. So while the images will be forever young but never be able to truly experience life or move forward, the author would eventually age, but he would be able to live his own life and progress.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem, I now realize that the poem is not simply about a man reminiscing about the past, but it is about a man reflecting on how the images on the urn will be preserved forever and free from aging, while the narrator himself would grow old. The narrator constantly expressed the idea that the images on the urn were immortal though lines like “Fair youth, beneath the trees, thou canst not leave,” “Bold, Lover, never, never canst thou kiss,” and “For ever wilt thou love, and she be fair.” Through lines like the ones listed above, the readers get a sense of the idea that the images on the urn are frozen in time, and while they will never be able to progress in life, they will also always be beautiful and remain frozen in the prime of their lives. However, in the real world, the narrator would not remain frozen in his youth, but he would eventually become “waste” as he aged.

The Wild Swans at Coole by William Butler Yeats

Text:

THE trees are in their autumn beauty,
The woodland paths are dry,
Under the October twilight the water
Mirrors a still sky;
Upon the brimming water among the stones
Are nine-and-fifty Swans.

The nineteenth autumn has come upon me
Since I first made my count;
I saw, before I had well finished,
All suddenly mount
And scatter wheeling in great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked upon those brilliant creatures,
And now my heart is sore.
All's changed since I, hearing at twilight,
The first time on this shore,
The bell-beat of their wings above my head,
Trod with a lighter tread.

Unwearied still, lover by lover,
They paddle in the cold
Companionable streams or climb the air;
Their hearts have not grown old;
Passion or conquest, wander where they will,
Attend upon them still.

But now they drift on the still water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Among what rushes will they build,
By what lake's edge or pool
Delight men's eyes when I awake some day
To find they have flown away?

Initial Reaction:

I believe the poem follows a man as he looks at and counts swans in a lake. The narrator has gone to the lake for the past “nineteen autumns” to look at the swans, suggesting that he was deeply captivated by the birds. I believe that seeing the swans and counting them gave the narrator great peace of mind and joy. However, once the swans flew away, I believe the narrator felt let down and melancholy.

Paraphrase:

The trees have the beauty of fall,
The paths of the woods are dry,
Under the twilight of October the water
Reflects the still sky;
And on the water among the stones Upon
Are fifty-nine swans.

This is the nineteenth autumn that has come to me
Since I started counting;
But before I had finished,
All suddenly started flying
And breaking into great broken rings
Upon their clamorous wings.

I have looked at those amazing creatures,
And now it hurts my heart.
Everything has changed since I heard at twilight,
For the first time on this shore,
The beating of the swans’ wings above my head,
Walking with a light tread.

Unchanging still, lover by lover,
They paddle through the cold
Through the streams or in the air;
Their hearts have never aged;
Excitement or conquest, will wander where they will,
Are still within the swans.

But now they are drifting on the water,
Mysterious, beautiful;
Where will they build their nests,
By what lake shore or pool
Delight men’s eyes to see while I awake someday Delight
To find the swans have flown away?

SWIFTT:

SW: The poem is composed of five stanzas, each with six lines. The poem is written in iambic, and it has a rhyme scheme of abcbdd. In addition, the author uses words like “October twilight,” “brilliant,” and “beautiful” to depict the mysterious and alluring nature of the swans.

I: The author uses imagery to paint a picture of a lake filled with beautiful swans. Throughout the poem, the readers can see the imagery of the lake through lines like “Upon the brimming water,” “the still water,” and “lake's edge or pool.” Further, readers can see imagery of the swans through lines like “nine-and-fifty Swans” and “those brilliant creatures.”

F: The poem is an extended metaphor for a yearning for things of the past and a disdain for change. For example, in the poem the author stated he had counted the swans for nineteen years, and the swans were “Unwearied still, lover by lover” and “Their hearts [had] not grown old.” However, on the other hand, the author mourned the fact that since the first time he had counted the swans “All's changed” in his own life.

T: The tone is contemplative and tranquil, as the author thought of how his own life had changed over the years, but the swans still remained “unwearied.” Further, the tranquil tone of the poem can be seen through lines like “Upon the brimming water among the stones” and “Trod with a lighter tread.”

T: The theme of the story is that no matter how hard one tries to hold on to things of the past, time will always continue to pass, and things will always keep changing. The swans in the poem were almost like a souvenir or reminder of the past, the way they never changed and always held on to their “Passion or conquest.” However, the narrator was not unchanging like the swans, but instead he mourned the fact that “All's changed” since he counted the swans for the first time.

Conclusion:

After analyzing the poem, I believe it depicts the narrator mourning the changes in his life. While the narrator looked at the swans and thought that even after nineteen years, the swans remained “Unwearied still” and still full of “Passion or conquest,” the narrator felt like “All's changed” in his life since the first time he counted the swans. The fact that nothing was the same as it was nineteen years ago made the narrator’s “heart…sore.” After all the years, the swans served as a symbol of the past and a lack of change, which contrasted the extreme changes that the narrator felt his own life had gone through.