Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

The poem "Il Pleut Doucement Sur La Ville" (It Rains Softly on the Town) by Paul Verlaine captures the ineffable quality of emotional melancholy, comparing the gentle descent of rain on a town to the tears that fall within the speaker's heart. The poem delves into an emotional landscape filled with a sense of desolation, where the speaker struggles to understand the reason behind their sorrow.

The rain serves as a pervasive metaphor for the speaker's emotions. Just as rain can cast a melancholic pall over a city, so does a sense of "languor" possess the speaker's heart. The rain is gentle, "sweet," as are the tears that are shed. They are not torrential downpours of grief but subtle reminders of a quiet, pervasive sadness. This lack of intensity perhaps makes the sorrow even more haunting, for it seeps slowly into the consciousness without overwhelming it, a soft background rhythm that cannot be easily ignored.

A parallel is drawn between the calming effect of rain and the music of tears. "O music of the rain!" suggests that the speaker finds some solace, even beauty, in their sorrow. Just like how the rain can be seen as both melancholic and soothing, the tears bring a sort of inexplicable peace to the troubled heart. This is a complex emotional tapestry Verlaine weaves here-the melancholy is both agonizing and oddly comforting.

However, what perplexes the speaker is the ambiguity of their emotional state. The sorrow has no clear source; it's a "grief [that] hath no reason." Unlike the natural phenomenon of rain that has a cycle and a reason, the emotional downpour is inexplicable. The speaker emphasizes this feeling of aimlessness, of a sorrow without cause, in the lines: "What! there was no treason? / This grief hath no reason." Here, "treason" stands in as a specific cause that could justify the emotional state, yet its absence adds a layer of existential distress to the narrative.

The poem closes with an assertion of desolation, a final acknowledgment of an emotional void. The speaker confesses that they do not know why their heart is desolate, admitting that neither love nor hate-those great motivators of human emotion-are the source. This lack of cause and effect deepens the poignancy of the emotional state described, suggesting a sorrow that is both universal in its relatability and intensely personal in its experience.

"Il Pleut Doucement Sur La Ville" is a masterful expression of the human condition, reflecting on the complexities of emotional states that often elude explanation. Through the metaphor of rain, Verlaine crafts a nuanced exploration of sorrow and desolation, creating a resonant emotional landscape that mirrors the complexities of the human heart.

Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!

Other Poems of Interest...