Tuesday 18 August 2015

Poem anlysis

Fatima is a poem written by Alfred, Lord Tennyson. He was a laureate poet of Great Britain and Ireland, during the reign of Queen Victoria, remaining in that position till his death. His main themes were classical myths, love and war.

First of all, I will talk about the title of the poem. "Fatima" is the lyrical speaker, so it makes sense that the poem has that name. This helps to understand the poem, because when you first read it, you are not certain about who is talking. But then if you relate the title with the poem, you understand that the lyrical speaker is Fatima. The poem is written in first person, and is not directed to anyone in particular.

The poem is about a woman (Fatima) that is waiting for her beloved to return. I am not sure if he is dead, at war or if he simply left her. As she waits, she remembers different moments of their relationship. Fatima especially recalls in her dreams a kiss they gave each other; and the memories of the moment he left. Given this situation, she also remembers what he made her feel. For this reason, the tone of the poem is reflective, as Fatima is remembering and thinking about her beloved one.

This poem theme is melancholic desire, which is conveyed throughout the poem. Desire and melancholy, because Fatima wants to be with him again, remembering him and what he made her feel. 

The mood of the poem on the other hand, is both, nostalgic and desperate, because she is remembering at the same time that she is expressing her urge to be with him. I will make reference to this later on.

In relation to the structure of the poem, the different stanzas help to change what the lyrical speaker is presenting. There are stanzas that talk about memories, or what already happened; and there are some others that talk about the “present”. For example in the first one, she is talking about when he left her and how she felt in that moment, while in the third  stanza she is talking about what happens when he is not with her, and she even sees him in her sleep. 

The rhyme pattern is very similar in every stanza: the first 4 verses of each stanza have the same ending rhyme; while the 3 other verses have another rhyme. This gives a fast rhythm to the poem, which can be related or interpreted as the speed of the memories of Fatima.

I will continue with the analysis by verse. In the first verses, Fatima talks about the moment he left, and how she felt during that moment. Then through v. 4-7, she makes reference to the estate she was left after his departure: “Throbbing thro’ all thy heat and light”, meaning that she felt pain trough out the entire day; “Lo, parch’d and wither’d, deaf and blind/ I whirl like leaves in roaring wind”, meaning that she was immersed in her memories, ignoring the rest of the world, emphasizing this with a simile.

Continuing with the next stanza, it is represented the lyrical speaker’s desperation. This can be seen in the following verses: “I thirsted for the brooks, the showers:” and then “Of that long desert to the south”. The thirst in the poem represents the desire of the lyrical speaker. Fatima is desperate, suffering because her beloved is not with her "I roll'd among the tender flowers/ I crush'd them on my breast, my mouth; / I look'd athwart the burning drouth". This helps to portray the desolation and agony she is felling. The presence of an anaphora in verses 10 to 13, with the repetition of the word “I” reinforces the idea that she is the one suffering, not anyone else. There is also an exaggeration in verse number 13 “burning drouth”, which helps to symbolize and reinforce the idea of loneliness and lack of love she felling.

Then, Fatima talks about a dream she had about a kiss they gave, using metaphors in verses 17 and 18, in the first one, to make reference to what she felt with the kiss “A thousand little shafts of flame”; and to make reference that to the idea that these memories where pushed in to her mind “Were siver´d in my narrow frame”. In verse number 21, there is a simile “My lips, as sunlight drinketh dew” which refers to wet lips drying, because the separation of her beloved one.

She remembers -once again- the moment he left her, leading to a feeling of sadness and depression, portrayed between verses 26 to 27: “In my dry brain my spirit soon,/ Down-deepening from swoon to swoon,/Faints like a daled morning moon.” The lyrical speaker uses a simile to compare a moon fainting in the morning, with her spirit once she remembered him.

The last stanza is incomplete, so I cannot refer to it. Even though, there is a simile “The wind sounds like a silver wire”, which might refer to the strength of her feelings.

As conclusion, this poem follows one of the main themes that Tennyson writes about: love. But not just any type of love. It is an obsessive love. There are not many rhetorical devices, just some similes or comparisons. The rhyme pattern is important, as it marks the transition between different moods.