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.
