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Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained | |||
"Lancelot" by Arna Bontemps is a beautifully crafted poem that employs a traditional ABAB rhyme scheme to convey a narrative imbued with themes of time, change, and the enduring nature of love and memory. Through this structured rhyme scheme, Bontemps creates a lyrical quality that enhances the poem's reflective mood, as the speaker, presumably Lancelot, addresses Elaine, a figure entwined with the Arthurian legends, evoking a sense of nostalgia and loss. The poem begins with the imagery of an orchard whose fruit is "over-ripe" and garden leaves crisping on the wall, immediately setting a scene of decline and the passage of time. The repetition of "Elaine" at the end of the first and fifth lines emphasizes the direct and personal nature of the address, underscoring the poem's intimate tone. The mention of leaves on the garden path being "wet and rain / Drips from the low shrubs with a steady fall" further contributes to the atmosphere of melancholy and reflection, as the natural world mirrors the emotional landscape of the poem. The speaker notes the significant passage of time since his last visit, marked by the physical changes in the garden—moles have damaged the rose tree, and the overall decay suggests neglect or absence. The phrase "It is long, so long since I was here, Elaine," not only highlights the passage of time but also the weight of memories and unfulfilled expectations. The speaker's return "in the day of falling fruit" metaphorically suggests a return at a time of decline or towards the end of a cycle, possibly hinting at a desire to reconcile with the past or to confront unresolved feelings. The use of the rhyme scheme serves to weave these elements together, lending a musicality to the poem that contrasts with the somberness of its themes. The rhymes "Elaine" with "rain" and "wall" with "fall" not only unify the verses but also accentuate the natural imagery and the sense of inevitable decay and transformation. This juxtaposition of beauty and loss, of the lushness of the orchard and garden against their subsequent decline, mirrors the complexities of human relationships and the poignant realization that time alters both landscapes and emotions. "Lancelot" is a poignant meditation on the themes of love, memory, and the passage of time. Through its structured rhyme scheme and evocative imagery, Bontemps crafts a narrative that resonates with the universal experiences of returning to places laden with personal history, confronting what has changed, and what remains eternally poignant in the heart. POEM TEXT: The fruit of the orchard is over-ripe, Elaine, It is long, so long since I was here, Elaine,
| Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SUNKEN REALMS by EDGAR LEE MASTERS LANCELOT by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON MERLIN by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON GALAHAD IN THE CASTLE OF THE MAIDENS by SARA TEASDALE LAUNCELOT IN HELL by JOHN CIARDI ELAINE by EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY |
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