Hi all,

well, i have this assignment on the two poems above by Emerson in which I have to present an analysis on as far as type of poem, meter, rhyme scheme, and literary elements. Could someone help me with getting a start on it. Thank you so much. I appreciate any feedback.

Pam

Each and all link:

[rpo.library.utoronto.ca]

Days:

[rpo.library.utoronto.ca]

See the page bottoms for poem types and rhyme schemes.

I am not clear on what is meant by 'literary elements'. Does this mean figures of speech and/or rhetoric? Or perhaps the historical or mythologic references contained in the poems?

Oh, and I forgot, there is some additional information on this site:

[tinyurl.com]

Could you please help me in explaining the meaning of the poem, DAYS. I really need some help. Thank you.

Pamela

Daughters of Time, the hypocritic Days,
Muffled and dumb, like barefoot dervishes,
And marching single in an endless file,
Bring diadems and fagots in their hands.
To each they offer gifts, after his will,--
Bread, kingdoms, stars, or sky that holds them all.
I, in my pleachéd garden, watched the pomp,
Forgot my morning wishes, hastily
Took a few herbs and apples, and the Day
Turned and departed silent. I, too late,
Under her solemn fillet saw the scorn.


Days are metaphorically labeled daughters of time. That is called 'personification', and/or 'apostrophe': inanimate objects either addressed as human, or given human attributes. They march forward single file, one at a time, like soldiers, or sands through the hourglass maybe.

Diadems are crowns, fagots are bundles of sticks (present-day usage not to the contrary), pleached is probably shaded, fillet is possibly the crown mentioned above. Could be a headband worn by the Day, sure. How do you suppose days are like barefoot dervishes?

Days are specifically said to be hypocritical, that is, they say one thing yet believe another. Or, perhaps they are merely deceptive? Is hypocritic a word? I usually say hypocritical, I mean. Days bring gifts, perhaps much like the Magi to Bethlehem? And they bring both gifts of great value (diadems) and those with very little (fagots).

The speaker of the poem (not necessarily Emerson) accepts only a small amount of the offered bounty, and the day is scornfully gone. Was the scorn because so few of her gifts were accepted? Or something else? Was the speaker's death the occasion of the day's departure? Shouldn't 'silent' be 'silently'? Maybe not - if one drives slow, one can depart silent I would think.

This is one interpretation. There may be many more. Your own, for example. What is the message as you understand it?

Pleached is a technical term from gardening. From COD
pleach // v.tr.
entwine or interlace (esp. branches to form a hedge).
[Middle English pleche from Old French (as plash2)]

You prune out all the branches which are growing out from the line of the hedge you want to form and the branches along the hedge are encouraged.
[tinyurl.com]

Also from COD
Fillet
2 a a headband, ribbon, string, or narrow band, for binding the hair or worn round the head. b a band or bandage.




Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/08/2021 12:08PM by Linda.