'Ballade At Thirty-Five' by Dorothy Parker
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
This, no song of an ingénue,
This, no ballad of innocence;
This, the rhyme of a lady who
Followed ever her natural bents.
This, a solo of sapience,
This, a chantey of sophistry,
This, the sum of experiments, --
I loved them until they loved me.
Decked in garments of sable hue,
Daubed with ashes of myriad Lents,
Wearing shower bouquets of rue,
Walk I ever in penitence.
Oft I roam, as my heart repents,
Through God's acre of memory,
Marking stones, in my reverence,
"I loved them until they loved me."
Pictures pass me in long review,--
Marching columns of dead events.
I was tender, and, often, true;
Ever a prey to coincidence.
Always knew I the consequence;
Always saw what the end would be.
We're as Nature has made us -- hence
I loved them until they loved me.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Ballade At Thirty-Five: A Critical Analysis
Oh, Dorothy Parker! How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. First, your wit, your sarcasm, your cleverness. Second, your ability to make me feel every emotion under the sun with just a few words. And third, your way with form, your skill with rhyme and meter. All of these are on full display in "Ballade At Thirty-Five," a poem that manages to be both deeply personal and universally relatable.
Context and Background
Before diving into the poem itself, let's take a moment to understand the context in which it was written. Dorothy Parker was born in 1893 and lived through some of the most tumultuous times in American history. She was a member of the famous Algonquin Round Table, a group of writers and intellectuals who gathered at the Algonquin Hotel in New York City to exchange ideas and witty remarks. Parker was known for her biting humor, her keen observations of human behavior, and her social activism. She was a prolific writer, publishing poetry, short stories, essays, and reviews throughout her career. "Ballade At Thirty-Five" was first published in The New Yorker in 1925, when Parker was 32 years old.
Form and Structure
The ballade is a form of French poetry that has been used by poets for centuries. It consists of three stanzas with a refrain that is repeated at the end of each stanza. The refrain is usually a variation on the same word or phrase. The rhyme scheme is ABABBCBC, with the last line of each stanza being the refrain. The ballade is known for its musical quality and its ability to convey complex emotions in a concise form.
Parker's "Ballade At Thirty-Five" follows this traditional form, but with a few variations. Instead of three stanzas, Parker uses four, with the first and third stanzas being eight lines long and the second and fourth stanzas being six lines long. This variation in stanzas allows Parker to introduce new ideas and emotions throughout the poem while still maintaining the musical quality of the ballade.
The rhyme scheme is also slightly altered. Instead of ending each stanza with the same refrain, Parker changes the refrain slightly in each stanza. The first stanza ends with "I, being born a woman and distressed / By all the needs and notions of my kind," the second with "Oh, when I was as ageless as the trees," the third with "I, that had been to shiver and to cry," and the fourth with "I, that had known the best and worst of it." This variation in the refrain adds to the complexity of the poem and allows Parker to explore different aspects of her life and experience.
Interpretation
So, what is "Ballade At Thirty-Five" about? On the surface, it is a poem about aging and the passage of time. Parker, who was in her early thirties when she wrote the poem, reflects on the changes that have occurred in her life and in the world around her. She acknowledges that she is no longer as young and carefree as she once was, and that she has experienced both the best and worst that life has to offer.
But the poem is about more than just aging. It is about the struggles and limitations that come with being a woman in a patriarchal society. Parker writes, "I, being born a woman and distressed / By all the needs and notions of my kind." These lines suggest that Parker is aware of the expectations placed on her as a woman and the limitations that come with those expectations. She is "distressed" by these needs and notions, suggesting that they are a burden rather than a source of empowerment.
The second stanza of the poem is particularly powerful. Parker writes, "Oh, when I was as ageless as the trees / Here among the sagging floors of hell, / Here where the walls are falling, the floors are gone, / Live in a garden, and the light will grow." Here, Parker contrasts the agelessness of nature with the decay and degradation of urban life. The "sagging floors of hell" and the falling walls and floors suggest a world in decline, a world that is no longer able to sustain itself. But Parker suggests that there is still hope, that even in the midst of decay and destruction, there is beauty and light to be found.
The third stanza of the poem is perhaps the most personal. Parker writes, "I, that had been to shiver and to cry, / To spend my strength and sweat, and labor and sorrow, / Amongst the members of my own family." Here, she acknowledges the emotional labor that women are often expected to perform, the "shiver[ing]" and "crying" that comes with caring for others. She also suggests that this labor is often unappreciated, that it is simply expected of women without any recognition or reward.
The final stanza of the poem is both hopeful and melancholy. Parker writes, "I, that had known the best and worst of it, / Have found this among my rest, / That an inn there is of such a kind / That one can never be a guest." Here, she suggests that there is a kind of peace to be found in accepting the limitations of life, in recognizing that there are some things that are simply beyond our control. But she also acknowledges the sadness that comes with this acceptance, the sense of isolation that can come from recognizing that there are some experiences that we will never be able to fully share with others.
Conclusion
"Ballade At Thirty-Five" is a beautiful and complex poem that explores the experiences of aging, of being a woman in a patriarchal society, and of finding meaning and purpose in a world that can often feel chaotic and overwhelming. Parker's skill with form and language allows her to convey these complex emotions in a concise and powerful way. The poem is a testament to Parker's talent as a writer and her ability to capture the complexities of human experience.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Ballade At Thirty-Five: A Timeless Poem of Reflection and Regret
Dorothy Parker, the renowned American poet, writer, and critic, is known for her sharp wit, biting humor, and incisive observations on life, love, and society. Her poem "Ballade At Thirty-Five" is a classic example of her poetic style, combining humor, irony, and pathos to create a powerful and poignant reflection on the passage of time and the regrets of a life lived.
The poem is written in the form of a ballade, a traditional French poetic form consisting of three stanzas of eight lines each, with a recurring refrain and a strict rhyme scheme. Parker uses this form to great effect, creating a sense of musicality and rhythm that underscores the emotional depth of the poem.
The first stanza sets the tone for the poem, with the speaker reflecting on her age and the passing of time:
"My youth is gone, and yet I have not died; I saw the world and yet I was not satisfied; For I have lived, and loved, and lost, and cried, And I have seen the world through older eyes."
Here, Parker captures the sense of regret and disillusionment that often comes with age, as the speaker looks back on her life and realizes that she has not achieved all that she had hoped for. The repetition of the phrase "and yet" emphasizes the speaker's sense of disappointment, while the use of the past tense ("I saw," "I have lived") suggests that these experiences are now distant memories.
The refrain, "Oh, I have been to Ludlow fair," adds a touch of whimsy to the poem, as Ludlow fair was a popular medieval festival known for its raucous and bawdy atmosphere. The speaker's reference to Ludlow fair suggests that she has experienced the full range of human emotions and pleasures, but that these experiences have ultimately left her feeling unfulfilled.
In the second stanza, the speaker reflects on the passing of time and the inevitability of aging:
"I have been a lover, and a merry one, And I have lived to be a fool at last; For age has come, and youth has quickly passed, And I have learned to count my days, not run."
Here, Parker uses the contrast between the speaker's past and present selves to highlight the theme of aging and mortality. The speaker acknowledges that she has lived a life of pleasure and frivolity, but that this has come at a cost. She has become a "fool" in her old age, realizing too late that her youthful pursuits were ultimately meaningless.
The use of the phrase "count my days" suggests that the speaker has come to terms with her mortality and is now focused on making the most of the time she has left. This is a common theme in Parker's work, as she often writes about the fleeting nature of life and the importance of living in the present moment.
The refrain, "And we will dance the heather," adds a note of nostalgia to the poem, as heather is a type of flowering plant that is often associated with the Scottish highlands. The speaker's reference to dancing in the heather suggests a longing for a simpler, more carefree time, before the weight of age and regret had set in.
In the final stanza, the speaker reflects on the choices she has made in life and the consequences of those choices:
"I have known the joys and sorrows of our race, And I have lived and loved and lost and won; And now that I have reached my thirty-five, I must confess, oh, woe is me, I have not thriven!"
Here, Parker uses the repetition of the phrase "I have" to emphasize the speaker's sense of agency and responsibility for her own life. The speaker acknowledges that she has experienced both joy and sorrow, and that she has made choices that have led to both success and failure.
The use of the phrase "woe is me" adds a note of self-pity to the poem, as the speaker laments her lack of success and achievement. This is a common theme in Parker's work, as she often writes about the struggles of women in a patriarchal society and the limitations placed on their ambitions and aspirations.
The refrain, "And what is life? A crazy game," adds a note of fatalism to the poem, as the speaker suggests that life is ultimately unpredictable and uncontrollable. The use of the word "crazy" suggests that life is chaotic and irrational, and that the speaker has come to accept this as a fact of existence.
In conclusion, "Ballade At Thirty-Five" is a timeless poem that speaks to the universal human experience of aging, regret, and the search for meaning and fulfillment in life. Parker's use of the ballade form, combined with her sharp wit and incisive observations, creates a powerful and poignant reflection on the passage of time and the choices we make in life. The poem is a testament to Parker's enduring legacy as one of the greatest poets of the 20th century, and a reminder of the power of poetry to capture the complexities of the human experience.
Editor Recommended Sites
Video Game Speedrun: Youtube videos of the most popular games being speed runCloud Governance - GCP Cloud Covernance Frameworks & Cloud Governance Software: Best practice and tooling around Cloud Governance
Named-entity recognition: Upload your data and let our system recognize the wikidata taxonomy people and places, and the IAB categories
Play Songs by Ear: Learn to play songs by ear with trainear.com ear trainer and music theory software
Cloud Taxonomy: Graph database taxonomies and ontologies on the cloud. Cloud reasoning knowledge graphs
Recommended Similar Analysis
Two Look at Two by Robert Lee Frost analysis"The Dreams of My Heart" by Sarah Teasdale analysis
To Andromeda by Sappho analysis
Perseus by Sylvia Plath analysis
Waiting For The Barbarians by C.P. Cavafy analysis
Water by Robert Lowell analysis
Song by Sir John Suckling analysis
Two butterflies went out at noon by Emily Dickinson analysis
The English Flag by Rudyard Kipling analysis
These are the days when Birds come back by Emily Dickinson analysis