Prayer to Holy Spirit Hymn: Augustine defined a hymn as praise to God that is sung. Such singing of words about the Word ties words and music together closely. For Martin Luther, it means music is next to the Word of God. According to St. Augustine, we need not pray for what we need because … Read more
Hymn to the Spirit of Nature Explanatory Notes Life of Life: essence of life. they thy lips enkindle… between them: There is such love in Asia’s lips that it lights up the breath which passes through her lips. (This is poetical language, and the words here are not to be taken literally). And thy smiles….cold … Read more
“If ” by Rudyard Kipling Introduction Joseph Rudyard Kipling is the author of the poem “If”. Kipling wrote the poem during his stay in Great Britain in 1909. It was first published in 1910 and gained immediate attention everywhere in Britain, and it was quickly adopted as a popular anthem. Kipling lived from December 30, … Read more
A Planet at Prayer by Joan Hetzer Vocabulary Discord – Difference, lack of agreement Hymen – Religious song Attene – Make understand De-smog – Make air free from pollution Summary of A Planet at Prayer by Joan Hetzer A planet at prayer is a thought provoking poem written by Joan Hetzner. The poet says that … Read more
Tears, Idle Tears Introduction: “Tears, Idle Tears” is a small lyric of a larger poem, “The Princess”, which is about Princess Ida. The Princess lives with her female companions, rejecting marriage and male companionship, in a school, she has founded for women’s education, alone. A maiden sings the present lyric as a song. Meaning of … Read more
The poem “She Walks in Beauty” is a short lyrical poem consisting of three stanzas of six lines each. The rhyme scheme of the poem is ababab, and the lines follow regular rhythm: iambic tetrameter, which means that there are four “iambs” (or pairs of one stressed and one unstressed syllable) in every line.
“The Emperor of Ice Cream” by Wallace Stevens Summary The Emperor of Ice Cream is one of the most famous poems written by the American poet Wallace Stevens. Published first in 1923, it is almost nonsensical at first glance. Slowly some (disputable) meaning emerges. For so far as we can say, it describes a funeral-an … Read more
“Musée des Beaux Arts” was composed in 1938, published under the title “Palais des beaux arts” in a newspaper in 1939, and included in the volume Another Time in 1940. It was written after Auden had spent time in Brussels, Belgium. The title refers to the museum that the poet visited while he was there, and the painting mentioned in the poem was hanging during the time of his visit.
Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night By Dylan Thomas Central Idea:‘Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night’ was published in 1951. It is a personal poem written for the poet’s own father, who lay dying. The poet wants his father not to give in but to struggle against impending death. The poem … Read more
“Fog” by Carl Sandburg Fog The fog comes on little cat feet. It sits looking over harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. Vocabulary Fog– It is a thick cloud of tiny water droplets present in the atmosphere, especially in winter. haunches – hips and thighs Harbour – dock, Port Summary of … Read more
“Poetry” by Marianne Moore Vocabulary dilate – grow wider; expand derivative – unoriginal insolence – rudeness; arrogance 1. While Moore does not use meter in this poem, she does impose a strict form on it. How is the form achieved? The form is achieved with the use of indentations, in the same place for each … Read more
“The River-Merchant’s Wife: A Letter” by Ezra Pound Vocabulary 1.River Merchant: a trader from ancient Asian culture 2. Look Out (Chinese culture): A widow would “look” to find a new husband after the death of her spouse 3. Eddies: whirlpools 4. Cho-fu-Sa: a town some 100 miles walking distance from where the speaker lives 1. … Read more
