Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

"Advice to a Prophet" by Richard Wilbur is a poem that offers guidance to a prophet who is struggling with their prophetic visions. The poem encourages the prophet to embrace their calling, despite the pain and suffering it may bring.

Form: "Advice to a Prophet" is a free verse poem with no consistent rhyme scheme or meter. The poem consists of four stanzas, each with five lines.

Theme: The central theme of the poem is the nature of prophetic vision and the challenges faced by those who are called to this role. The poem encourages the reader to embrace their own struggles and to find meaning and purpose in difficult times.

Imagery: The poem uses vivid and evocative imagery to convey the prophetic journey, such as the metaphor of the prophet as a sailor navigating through stormy seas.

Tone: The tone of the poem is both contemplative and encouraging, as the speaker offers advice and encouragement to the prophet.

Diction: The language used in the poem is simple and direct, reflecting the immediacy and intimacy of the speaker's message.

Figurative language: The poem employs several types of figurative language, including metaphor (the prophet as a sailor), personification (the future as a gardener), and imagery (the stormy seas).

Symbolism: The poem employs symbolism to convey its message, such as the metaphor of the "seeds of time" tended by the gardener of the future.

Analysis: In summary, "Advice to a Prophet" is a complex and multi-layered poem that employs a range of poetic elements to convey its message. Through its vivid imagery, symbolism, and figurative language, the poem explores the challenges and rewards of the prophetic journey, offering advice and encouragement to those who are struggling with the calling of prophecy. Published in 1956, the poem continues to resonate with readers today as a powerful meditation on the nature of prophecy and the human experience.

Publication date: "Advice to a Prophet" was first published in Richard Wilbur's collection "Things of This World" in 195

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