"As Imperceptibly as Grief" by Emily Dickinson

 

As Imperceptibly as Grief

As imperceptibly as grief

The summer lapsed away, —

Too imperceptible, at last,

To seem like perfidy.

A quietness distilled,

As twilight long begun,

Or Nature, spending with herself

Sequestered afternoon.

The dusk drew earlier in,

The morning foreign shone, —

A courteous, yet harrowing grace,

As guest who would be gone.

 

And thus, without a wing,

Or service of a keel,

Our summer made her light escape

Into the beautiful.

 

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

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Who wrote the poem "As Imperceptibly as Grief"?

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson (December 10, 1830 – May 15, 1886)

Emily Elizabeth Dickinson was an American poet who was born in Amherst, Massachusetts. She spent most of her adult life at the family home in isolation, attending to her ill mother. Introverted and timid, she never married or sought a permanent romantic relationship all her life. Although she wrote nearly 1,800 poems during her lifetime, her poetry was largely misunderstood or underrated while she was alive. Her poems were quite original and disregarded many conventional rules, containing short lines, typically lacking titles, and often using imperfect rhyme and odd-looking syntax. Her poetry however captures universal feelings in a simple sentence with unique but resonating metaphors and reflects the poet’s lively, imaginative, and dynamic inner world. Her poetic genius began to be appreciated only after her death when her sister published her works. Now Dickinson is regarded as one of the most important American poets.

"As Imperceptibly as Grief" explanation

Emily Dickinson's poem "As Imperceptibly as Grief" uses the metaphor of the changing seasons to explore the nature of loss and the passage of time. The poem begins with the end of summer, which has slipped away as subtly and inevitably as grief. This transition is so gradual that it feels almost like a betrayal. The quietness of the changing season reflects the quietness that can descend in the wake of grief. As the poem progresses, the shift from day to night and the arrival of a foreign morning symbolize the profound changes that loss can bring. The final lines suggest a sense of acceptance and even beauty in this cycle of change and loss, as the summer escapes "into the Beautiful" without the need for wings or a keel. The poem thus captures the quiet, gradual, but profound impact of grief and change on our lives. Dickinson lived much of her life in relative isolation, and her poems often reflect a deep introspection and exploration of her own thoughts and feelings, as in "As Imperceptibly as Grief".

"The Solitary Reaper" by William Wordsworth

 

The Solitary Reaper

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.

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poem video👇

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Who wrote the poem "To the Skylark"?

William Wordsworth  (April 7, 1770 – April 23, 1850)

William Wordsworth was an English poet who pioneered the Romantic Movement with his close friend and fellow poet, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. He famously defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Using the ordinary language “really used by men,” he wrote beautiful poetry with sweet imagery, often based around the natural world. He suffered from depression, which was reflected in somber undertones in his poems. He was the Poet Laureate for Queen Victoria from 1843 until his death from pleurisy in 1850.

"The Solitary Reaper" explanation

The poem made its first appearance in 1807 as part of Wordsworth's compilation titled "Poems in Two Volumes." The inspiration behind this poem can be traced back to an actual event that Wordsworth encountered during his travels through the Scottish Highlands in 1803.

While journeying, Wordsworth stumbled upon a young Highland girl who was working in the fields and singing a song in Gaelic. The song was melancholic and had a haunting quality to it. Wordsworth was deeply moved by the beauty and emotional depth of her song, which led him to immortalize the moment in his poem.

"The Solitary Reaper" delves into themes such as nature, music, and the evocative power of the human voice. It reflects Wordsworth's conviction in the transformative essence of nature and the capacity of simple, everyday experiences to forge connections to a deeper sense of beauty and spirituality.

"Summer Song" by William Carlos Williams

 

Summer Song

Wanderer moon

smiling a

faintly ironical smile

at this

brilliant, dew-moistened

summer morning,—

a detached

sleepily indifferent

smile, a

wanderer's smile,—

if I should

buy a shirt

your color and

put on a necktie

sky-blue

where would they carry me?

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Poem Video👇

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Who wrote the poem "Blizzard"?

William Carlos Williams (September 17, 1883 – March 4, 1963)

William Carlos Williams was an American poet, writer, and physician. As a family doctor and leading poet of Imagist movement, he practiced medicine by day and wrote at night. He was known for his experimental and innovative poetic style while maintaining a remarkably conventional life.

Summer Song

This poem is a reflection on the beauty of a summer morning and the wanderlust that it inspires. The moon is personified as a wanderer, and its smile is described as faintly ironical and detached. The poet wonders if wearing colors that reflect the beauty of the morning would take him to new places.

William Carlos Williams was not only a poet but also a practicing physician. He often wrote poetry in between seeing patients. His medical career influenced his poetry, as he was deeply interested in observing the details of everyday life, which is evident in the precise imagery of "Summer Song".

"Back Yard" by Carl Sandburg

 

Back Yard

Shine on, O moon of summer.

Shine to the leaves of grass, catalpa and oak,

All silver under your rain to-night.

An Italian boy is sending songs to you to-night from an accordion.

A Polish boy is out with his best girl; they marry next month;

to-night they are throwing you kisses.

An old man next door is dreaming over a sheen that sits in a

cherry tree in his back yard.

The clocks say I must go—I stay here sitting on the back porch drinking

white thoughts you rain down.

Shine on, O moon,

Shake out more and more silver changes.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

                                                    poem video👇

https://youtu.be/8SSmXseTL5E

Who wrote the poem "Who Am I?"

Carl Sandburg (January 6, 1878 – July 22, 1967)

 

Carl Sandburg was an American poet, biographer, novelist, journalist, and folklorist. He received three Pulitzer Prizes (two for his poetry and one for his biography of Abraham Lincoln). He has often been compared to Walt Whitman for his use of free verse and admiration of the working class.

 "Back Yard" explanation

"Back Yard" by Carl Sandburg is a beautiful reflection on the simple pleasures of everyday life. In the poem, Sandburg captures the serene beauty of a summer evening in a back yard, using vivid and sensory imagery to bring the scene to life. It can be interpreted as a celebration of the beauty in everyday moments and an encouragement to slow down, observe, and appreciate the simple and often overlooked aspects of life.

"For Once, Then, Something" by Robert Frost

For Once, Then, Something

Others taunt me with having knelt at well-curbs

Always wrong to the light, so never seeing

Deeper down in the well than where the water

Gives me back in a shining surface picture

Me myself in the summer heaven godlike

Looking out of a wreath of fern and cloud puffs.

Once, when trying with chin against a well-curb,

I discerned, as I thought, beyond the picture,

Through the picture, a something white, uncertain,

Something more of the depths—and then I lost it.

Water came to rebuke the too clear water.

One drop fell from a fern, and lo, a ripple

Shook whatever it was lay there at bottom,

Blurred it, blotted it out. What was that whiteness?

Truth? A pebble of quartz? For once, then, something.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/benq7D7jYJU

Who wrote the poem "Dust of Snow"?

Robert Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963)

Robert Frost was an American poet who was born in San Francisco, California. Frost’s life was marked by grief and loss. When he was 11, his father died of tuberculosis, leaving just eight dollars. Frost’s mother died of cancer when he was 26. Mental illness ran in his family. He and his mother suffered from depression, and his sister and his daughter were committed to mental hospitals. Using realistic depictions of rural life, his poems often examined complex social and philosophical themes. Frost’s first book was published at the age of 40, but he ended up winning four Pulitzer Prizes for poetry and becoming the most famous poet of his time.

"For Once, Then, Something" explanation

In the poem, the poet grapples with his personal exploration and the questioning of the limits of human perception. Looking into a well, the speaker tries to see his reflection. This can symbolize the poet's attempt to deeply understand an object. However, being on the wrong side, he can't see into the well properly, which may symbolize the difficulties we face when trying to understand something beyond our perception. At one point though he saw something more. This could symbolize the truth itself or merely emphasize the importance of personal understanding rather than seeking truth itself. This poem is another example of Frost’s exploration of human life and understanding, and their limits through the lens of nature.

Speech: “Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow” BY William Shakespeare (from Macbeth, spoken by Macbeth)

 

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow”

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,

Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,

To the last syllable of recorded time;

And all our yesterdays have lighted fools

The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!

Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,

That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,

And then is heard no more. It is a tale

Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,

Signifying nothing.

 

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poem video👇

https://youtu.be/NbMvStsBi-4

Who wrote the poem "A Madrigal"?

William Shakespeare (April 26, 1564 – April 23, 1616)

William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet, and actor of the Renaissance era. He is regarded as the greatest writer in the English language, often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon." Few public records remain about his private life, causing speculations about his physical appearances, sexuality, religious beliefs and the authorship of some of his works. His works demonstrate a wide range of human emotions and conflicts, touching so many people's minds throughout the world for over 400 years.

“Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow”

This speech is a soliloquy delivered by Macbeth in Shakespeare’s famous play “Macbeth.” Upon hearing about his wife’s death, Macbeth deplores the meaninglessness and futility of life.

"Sonnet – To Science" by Edgar Allan Poe

 

Sonnet – To Science

Science! true daughter of Old Time thou art!

Who alterest all things with thy peering eyes.

Why preyest thou thus upon the poet’s heart,

Vulture, whose wings are dull realities?

How should he love thee? or how deem thee wise,

Who wouldst not leave him in his wandering

To seek for treasure in the jewelled skies,

Albeit he soared with an undaunted wing?

Hast thou not dragged Diana from her car,

And driven the Hamadryad from the wood

To seek a shelter in some happier star?

Hast thou not torn the Naiad from her flood,

The Elfin from the green grass, and from me

The summer dream beneath the tamarind tree?

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/tcpgRSQetj4

Who wrote the poem "Sonnet – To Science"?

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849)

Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. He is best known for his poetry as a central figure of Romanticism in the US and short stories as an important contributor in such emerging genres as mystery, detective fiction, and science fiction. He was also the first well-known professional writer, unfortunately resulting in a financially difficult career. Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809, but his father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year. He was raised as a foster child by John and Francis Allan in Virginia. His academic excellence was marred by his bad habits, and he had to leave the University of Virginia when his foster father refused to pay his gambling debts. In 1827, Poe joined the US Army and published his first collection of poems. Later he quit his military career, changed his focus to prose, and became editors of literary journals. In 1836, he married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. After she died of tuberculosis in 1847, Poe’s depression and alcoholism got worse. Although he died in 1849 at age 40, the cause of his death is unknown and still controversial among disease, alcoholism, substance abuse, suicide, and others.

"Sonnet – To Science" explanation

The speaker condemns science for the damage it caused by revealing scientific truths behind artistic and mythical imagination.

"Crossing the Bar" by Alfred Lord Tennyson

 

Crossing the Bar 

Sunset and evening star,

And one clear call for me!

And may there be no moaning of the bar,

When I put out to sea,

 

But such a tide as moving seems asleep,

Too full for sound and foam,

When that which drew from out the boundless deep

Turns again home.

 

Twilight and evening bell,

And after that the dark!

And may there be no sadness of farewell,

When I embark;

 

For tho’ from out our bourne of Time and Place

The flood may bear me far,

I hope to see my Pilot face to face

When I have cross’d the bar.

Enjoy the poem with beautiful music.

poem video👇

https://youtu.be/TLqqA1Q9vWg

Who wrote the poem "Crossing the Bar"?

Alfred, Lord Tennyson (August 6, 1809 – October 6, 1892)

Alfred, Lord Tennyson was one of the most popular poets of the Victorian era. As the fourth of 12 children, Tennyson showed a literary talent from an early age. He wrote 6,000-line epic poem at 12. His father, a reverend, suffered from mental breakdowns and alcoholism. One of his brothers was committed to an asylum, and another became an opium addict. His poetic success hadn’t come until his 30’s. Later he became Queen Victoria’s poet laureate following William Wordsworth, from 1850 until his death. He was a successor and consummator of the Romantic movement. His works delve into such themes as medieval legends, classical myths, and questions about man’s nature and destiny.

"Crossing the Bar" explanation

The speaker in the poem talks about a sailing on the sea as a metaphor of a journey from life to death. He states that death is something not to be mournful about but to be embraced calmly and peacefully.