Poetry Analysis

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Muttering, stuttering—uttering phrases of mentionless adages,

Original Poetry

Translation

Muttering, stuttering—uttering phrases of mentionless adages,

Mumbling and stammering—saying phrases of forgotten sayings,

Saying a looping, abounding and whispering echo of passages

Repeating a continuous, overflowing and quiet echo of words

Left to our kind, interrupting the flow of processions of truth, and thus

Passed down to us, disrupting the flow of truth's processions, and so

Hiding the clearly anomalous nature of feelings beheld by us—

Concealing the unusual nature of feelings we hold—

"Mary! Mary! Stop and listen, may your hair all glisten! Stop and go not..."

"Mary! Mary! Stop and listen, may your hair shine! Stop and don't go..."

Running and shouting his mind was Eugene of one family Dupoynot

Running and shouting was Eugene from the Dupoynot family

"Mary—" Came then a sound, as he pleaded unheeded, such: "Go away, you—

"Mary—" Then a sound came, as he begged without being heard, saying: "Go away, you—

"Scoundrel, thief and heartly render, woe's apprentice lender—I so loathe you."

"Rogue, thief and emotional tormentor, bringer of sorrow—I hate you."

Hurt, hitherto, was his heart in a way or another, but never such

His heart was hurt before, but never like this

That an ascending crescendo of aching surrounded it quite so much

That a rising wave of pain surrounded it so much

"But alas! It pains me, still I have to say, I can not go away, so

"But alas! It hurts me, yet I must say, I cannot leave, so

"Hold me; Hold me, dance now, with the notes the sea prepared for you and I—", "No..."

"Hold me; Hold me, dance now, with the music the sea made for us—", "No..."

Taken aback with the pain of a heart so dismayed, he denied it, then

Shocked by the pain of a heart so upset, he refused it, then

Purging therefrom what remained of his feelings, replacing them none know when

Removing what was left of his feelings, replacing them no one knows when

Turning away—then again to her—spoke he, conveying his words, as to

Turning away—then back to her—he spoke, sharing his words, as to

Break it—the hope she had: "Love beheld this scene, and what you forced me into."

Destroy it—the hope she had: "Love saw this scene, and what you made me do."

Explanation

This poem explores the complex emotions of unrequited love and the pain of rejection. The speaker, Eugene, is caught in a loop of expressing his feelings, which are met with indifference and disdain by Mary. The poem opens with a description of Eugene's inner turmoil, characterized by muttering and stuttering, as he struggles to articulate his emotions. Despite his pleas for Mary to listen and stay, she responds with harsh words, calling him a scoundrel and thief, which intensifies his heartache. Eugene's heart has been hurt before, but never to this extent, as he experiences a crescendo of pain. Despite his suffering, he cannot bring himself to leave, expressing a desire for connection through dance, symbolized by the sea's music. Ultimately, Eugene attempts to purge his feelings, but the hope of love remains, leaving him in a state of emotional conflict. The poem uses imagery and metaphor to convey the depth of Eugene's despair and longing, highlighting themes of love, rejection, and emotional vulnerability.

Word Dictionary15

Word	In English	Plain (English)	Pron.
muttering	speaking quietly	speaking quietly	muh-tuh-ring
stuttering	speaking with pauses	speaking with pauses	stuh-tuh-ring
adages	sayings	sayings	a-duh-jiz
anomalous	unusual	unusual	uh-nom-uh-luhs
hitherto	until now	until now	hith-er-too
crescendo	increase in intensity	increase in intensity	kruh-shen-doh
dismayed	upset	upset	dis-mayd
purging	cleansing	cleansing	pur-jing
render	give	give	ren-der
apprentice	learner	learner	uh-pren-tis
loathe	hate	hate	lohth
beheld	seen	seen	bee-held
woe	sorrow	sorrow	woh
scoundrel	villain	villain	skoun-drel
abounding	plentiful	plentiful	uh-boun-ding

Poet & Context

Poet—

EraUnknown

The poet of this piece is unknown. The poem does not appear in any major literary databases or collections, suggesting it may be a lesser-known or unpublished work.

WhenUnknown

WhyThe poem seems to explore themes of unrequited love and emotional turmoil, possibly reflecting personal experiences or universal feelings of rejection and longing.

FormFree verse

Themes & More

Themes

Unrequited LoveEmotional TurmoilRejection

Literary devices

Metaphor: 'ascending crescendo of aching' to describe increasing emotional pain.Imagery: Vivid descriptions of Eugene's emotional state and actions.Alliteration: 'Muttering, stuttering—uttering' for rhythmic effect.Personification: 'Love beheld this scene' giving love human-like qualities.