The Woodspurge Poem Analysis
The Woodspurge The wind flapped loose, the wind was still, Shaken out dead from tree and hill; I had walked on at the wind’s will – I sat now, for the wind was still.
Between my knees my forehead was – My lips, drawn in, said not Alas! My hair was over in the grass, My naked ears heard the day pass.
My eyes, wide open, had the run Of some ten weeds to fix upon; Among those few out of the sun, The woodspurge flowered, three cups in one.
From perfect grief there need not be Wisdom or even memory; One thing then learnt remains to me – The woodspurge has a cup of three.
Illustration
This poem took place in hill where the trees are shaken out by the wind and a field of grass where the man in this poet saw woodspurge as one of the ten weeds and grieving for his problem all day along as the wind blown. The poet described a visual imagery by points out what that man can see while grieving in field, such as in ninth and tenth line :
“My eyes, wide open, had the run”
“Of some ten weeds to fix upon;” The tactile imagery also can be found in seventh line “My hair was over in the grass” the touch’s feel can be sensed when his hair is over the grass as he put his head to rest on it. Kinesthetic imagery, this motion happened when the man bent his head on to between his knees until his forehead touch those knees in fifth line, shows a grieving gesture. The word “wind” in first stanza is a metaphore from a word “spirit” or more likely a “determination”, the wind itself got a personification in third line, where the poet wrote “I had walked on at the wind’s will –.” By stating that a wind could have a will like a people. Ironically, this man seems lack of determination, he only move to somewhere as the wind guide him and stopped when the wind is gone.
General Meaning It is
Between my knees my forehead was – My lips, drawn in, said not Alas! My hair was over in the grass, My naked ears heard the day pass.
My eyes, wide open, had the run Of some ten weeds to fix upon; Among those few out of the sun, The woodspurge flowered, three cups in one.
From perfect grief there need not be Wisdom or even memory; One thing then learnt remains to me – The woodspurge has a cup of three.
Illustration
This poem took place in hill where the trees are shaken out by the wind and a field of grass where the man in this poet saw woodspurge as one of the ten weeds and grieving for his problem all day along as the wind blown. The poet described a visual imagery by points out what that man can see while grieving in field, such as in ninth and tenth line :
“My eyes, wide open, had the run”
“Of some ten weeds to fix upon;” The tactile imagery also can be found in seventh line “My hair was over in the grass” the touch’s feel can be sensed when his hair is over the grass as he put his head to rest on it. Kinesthetic imagery, this motion happened when the man bent his head on to between his knees until his forehead touch those knees in fifth line, shows a grieving gesture. The word “wind” in first stanza is a metaphore from a word “spirit” or more likely a “determination”, the wind itself got a personification in third line, where the poet wrote “I had walked on at the wind’s will –.” By stating that a wind could have a will like a people. Ironically, this man seems lack of determination, he only move to somewhere as the wind guide him and stopped when the wind is gone.
General Meaning It is