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SONNET, by             Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography


"Sonnet" by Elizabeth Bishop is a poignant exploration of the transcendent power of music over human emotions and its capacity to soothe and heal the soul. This poem encapsulates Bishop’s exceptional ability to convey deep emotional landscapes through precise, evocative imagery and tightly woven structure, characteristic of the sonnet form. Bishop’s sonnet, through its lyrical beauty and profound depth, delves into the longing for a kind of music that can transcend ordinary experience, providing solace and escape from life's turmoil.

The poem opens with a vivid expression of need: the speaker yearns for music that could effortlessly flow over their "fretful, feeling fingertips" and "bitter-tainted, trembling lips." This imagery immediately establishes a connection between the physical and emotional states of the speaker, suggesting a deep-seated restlessness and a longing for relief. The music sought is one of deep, clear, and "liquid-slow" melody, implying a desire for music that is both purifying and profound, capable of washing over and cleansing the speaker’s troubled spirit.

Bishop’s invocation of "the healing swaying, old and low, / Of some song sung to rest the tired dead" intensifies the poem’s exploration of music’s restorative power. The reference to a song for the "tired dead" evokes a sense of timeless solace, a universal remedy that transcends even the finality of death. This song, desired to fall "like water on my head," uses the metaphor of water not only for its cleansing qualities but also for its ability to envelop and support, suggesting a profound longing for immersion in sound that can carry the speaker away from their current distress.

The poem’s octave (the first eight lines) sets up a vivid scene of personal anguish and the yearning for music as a form of escape or healing. The transition to the sestet (the final six lines) marks a shift towards a more abstract and universal exploration of music’s effects. Bishop articulates "a magic made by melody," a line that signals the poem’s movement towards a conclusion that underscores music’s enchanting and transformative capabilities. This magic is described as a "spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool / Heart," highlighting the physical and emotional tranquility induced by music.

The imagery of sinking "through fading colors deep / To the subaqueous stillness of the sea" further emphasizes the idea of music as a medium for transcendence. The sea represents a realm of profound calm and infinite depth, a place where the weariness and turmoil of the surface world can be forgotten. The "moon-green pool" symbolizes a serene, timeless space, perhaps the ultimate sanctuary that music can offer to the restless soul. The final lines, "Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep," beautifully encapsulate the poem’s essence: music as a cradle for the spirit, offering rhythm, rest, and a departure from consciousness into a state of peace and contentment.

Elizabeth Bishop’s "Sonnet" masterfully employs the sonnet form to explore the theme of music’s ethereal power to comfort and heal the human spirit. Through precise imagery and a deeply resonant emotional landscape, Bishop captures the universal human desire for moments of escape from the trials of life. The sonnet’s tight structure mirrors the controlled beauty of the music it longs for, while its evocative language invites readers to feel the deep yearning for a melody that can transport one to a realm of peace, stillness, and solace. In this way, Bishop’s poem itself becomes a kind of music, offering readers a brief respite in its lyrical embrace.

POEM TEXT:

I am in need of music that would flow
Over my fretful, feeling finger-tips,
Over my bitter-tainted, trembling lips,
With melody, deep, clear, and liquid-slow.
Oh, for the healing swaying, old and low,
Of some song sung to rest the tired dead,
A song to fall like water on my head,
And over quivering limbs, dream flushed to glow!

There is a magic made by melody:
A spell of rest, and quiet breath, and cool
Heart, that sinks through fading colors deep
To the subaqueous stillness of the sea,
And floats forever in a moon-green pool,
Held in the arms of rhythm and of sleep.


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