Classic and Contemporary Poetry: Explained

John Frederick Nims’ "Contemplation" is a brief yet incisive epigram that distills the essence of romantic doubt into a single, cutting couplet. Its brevity enhances its wit, operating in the tradition of aphoristic poetry where meaning unfolds in a compact, paradoxical structure. The poem's brilliance lies in its linguistic economy—every word is carefully chosen to amplify the emotional tension between love, betrayal, and obsession.

The poem opens with a direct quote: "I'm Mark's alone!" you swore. The quotation marks establish immediacy, suggesting that the speaker is recalling a declaration of fidelity made by a lover. The exclamation mark adds emphasis, implying that the statement was made with conviction or even fervor. The use of swore reinforces the weight of the promise, suggesting an oath or vow that should be beyond question. However, the next line immediately undermines that certainty: Given cause to doubt you. This simple phrase, placed between the two halves of the couplet, shifts the entire emotional tone. The speaker does not reveal what the "cause to doubt" is—whether it is circumstantial, evidentiary, or merely suspicion—but its very presence transforms the lover’s passionate declaration into something fragile, possibly false.

The second half of the couplet delivers the poem’s paradoxical twist: I think less of you, dear. But more about you. The brilliance of this line lies in the inversion of expectation. The phrase "I think less of you" suggests a moral or emotional decline in the speaker’s esteem for their lover. Betrayal, or even the suspicion of it, diminishes admiration and trust. However, the contradiction emerges in the next line: despite thinking less of the lover in moral terms, the speaker is consumed by thoughts of them. The more untrustworthy the lover seems, the more obsessed the speaker becomes. This is the psychological irony at the heart of many romantic entanglements: betrayal—or the mere possibility of it—can breed fixation rather than detachment.

The poem operates on a classic epigrammatic principle, akin to the witticisms of poets like Alexander Pope or Dorothy Parker. The tight structure, the ironic reversal, and the contrast between reason and emotion all contribute to its impact. Structurally, the poem’s rhyme scheme is simple (A/A), reinforcing the idea that the conclusion follows inevitably from the premise. The juxtaposition of less and more encapsulates the paradox in two starkly opposed terms, making the statement feel almost mathematical in its precision.

Despite its brevity, "Contemplation" offers a deep reflection on human nature—how betrayal (real or imagined) can intensify emotional attachment rather than sever it. It acknowledges a painful truth about love: sometimes, the things that should drive us away only pull us closer, trapping us in cycles of doubt and desire. Nims, with his characteristic wit, compresses this complexity into two sharp, unforgettable lines.

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