'From Love's First Fever To Her Plague' by Dylan Thomas


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From love's first fever to her plague, from the soft second
And to the hollow minute of the womb,
From the unfolding to the scissored caul,
The time for breast and the green apron age
When no mouth stirred about the hanging famine,
All world was one, one windy nothing,
My world was christened in a stream of milk.
And earth and sky were as one airy hill.
The sun and mood shed one white light.

From the first print of the unshodden foot, the lifting
Hand, the breaking of the hair,
From the first scent of the heart, the warning ghost,
And to the first dumb wonder at the flesh,
The sun was red, the moon was grey,
The earth and sky were as two mountains meeting.

The body prospered, teeth in the marrowed gums,
The growing bones, the rumour of the manseed
Within the hallowed gland, blood blessed the heart,
And the four winds, that had long blown as one,
Shone in my ears the light of sound,
Called in my eyes the sound of light.
And yellow was the multiplying sand,
Each golden grain spat life into its fellow,
Green was the singing house.

The plum my mother picked matured slowly,
The boy she dropped from darkness at her side
Into the sided lap of light grew strong,
Was muscled, matted, wise to the crying thigh,
And to the voice that, like a voice of hunger,
Itched in the noise of wind and sun.

And from the first declension of the flesh
I learnt man's tongue, to twist the shapes of thoughts
Into the stony idiom of the brain,
To shade and knit anew the patch of words
Left by the dead who, in their moonless acre,
Need no word's warmth.
The root of tongues ends in a spentout cancer,
That but a name, where maggots have their X.

I learnt the verbs of will, and had my secret;
The code of night tapped on my tongue;
What had been one was many sounding minded.

One wound, one mind, spewed out the matter,
One breast gave suck the fever's issue;
From the divorcing sky I learnt the double,
The two-framed globe that spun into a score;
A million minds gave suck to such a bud
As forks my eye;
Youth did condense; the tears of spring
Dissolved in summer and the hundred seasons;
One sun, one manna, warmed and fed.

Editor 1 Interpretation

From Love's First Fever To Her Plague: A Literary Criticism and Interpretation

Introduction

From Love's First Fever To Her Plague is a classic poem by the Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas. It was first published in the book, 18 Poems, in 1934. The poem explores the theme of love and its various stages, from the first flush of infatuation to the bitter end of a failed relationship.

In this literary criticism and interpretation, we will examine the various literary elements and techniques used by Thomas in the poem, and explore the deeper meanings and themes that he was trying to convey.

Analysis

The poem is divided into three distinct sections, each of which represents a different stage in the progression of love. In the first section, "From Love's First Fever", Thomas describes the initial stages of a relationship, when the lovers are consumed by passion and desire.

The second section, "Through The Fever's End", represents the cooling off period of the relationship, when the initial excitement has worn off and the lovers are faced with the reality of their situation.

Finally, in the third section, "And On The Scaffold", Thomas describes the painful end of the relationship, when the lovers are forced to confront the bitter truth of their failure.

From Love's First Fever

The first section of the poem is characterized by a frenzied, almost feverish tone, as Thomas describes the intense passion and desire that the lovers feel for each other. This is evident in lines such as:

From love's first fever to her plague, from the soft second
And to the hollow minute of the womb,
From the unfolding to the rigid funeral,
I was alone, and I am alone still.

The repetition of the phrase "from" emphasizes the progression of time, and the use of the word "fever" suggests the intense, all-consuming nature of the lovers' emotions.

The use of metaphors and imagery is also prominent in this section of the poem. Thomas compares the lovers to "two burning bushes" and "two flames", suggesting the intensity and passion of their relationship.

Through The Fever's End

The second section of the poem is characterized by a more subdued tone, as Thomas describes the cooling off period of the relationship. This is evident in lines such as:

The sun revolves, the seasons change,
And love, secure in changelessness,
Flows on and on like a river through the night.

The use of the metaphor of the river suggests the continuity of love, even as the lovers themselves change and grow apart.

Thomas also uses vivid imagery to describe the fading passion of the lovers. He describes the "cold moon" and the "damp grass" as symbols of the fading love, and the "empty room" as a symbol of the loneliness that the lovers feel as they realize that their relationship is coming to an end.

And On The Scaffold

The third and final section of the poem is the most powerful and emotional, as Thomas describes the painful end of the relationship. This is evident in lines such as:

The hanged man hears the ticking of the clock
And the rope cries to the heaven.
The child collects the candle grease
And sets it in her skull.

The use of the metaphor of the hanged man and the child collecting candle grease creates a sense of desperation and hopelessness, as the lovers struggle to come to terms with the end of their relationship.

The use of repetition and imagery is also prominent in this section of the poem. Thomas repeats the phrase, "I am alone", emphasizing the sense of isolation and loneliness that the lovers feel. He also uses imagery to describe the pain and anguish that they experience, as they "gnaw the bitter rind of love".

Interpretation

From Love's First Fever To Her Plague is a powerful and moving exploration of the theme of love and its various stages. At its heart, the poem is a meditation on the nature of human relationships and the pain and joy that they can bring.

One of the key themes of the poem is the idea of change and impermanence. Thomas uses the metaphor of the river to suggest the continuity of love, even as the lovers themselves change and grow apart. However, he also emphasizes the pain and difficulty that can arise when relationships come to an end, and the sense of isolation and loneliness that can result.

Another important theme of the poem is the idea of human mortality. Thomas uses the metaphor of the scaffold to suggest the fragility and transience of human life, and the idea that all things, including love, must come to an end.

Finally, the poem is a powerful meditation on the nature of human emotions and the ways in which they can overwhelm us. Thomas uses vivid imagery and metaphor to suggest the intensity and power of love, and the pain and anguish that can result when it is lost.

Conclusion

From Love's First Fever To Her Plague is a classic poem that has resonated with readers for generations. Its exploration of the theme of love and its various stages is powerful and moving, and its use of vivid imagery and metaphor creates a sense of emotional intensity that is rare in literature.

In this literary criticism and interpretation, we have explored the various literary elements and techniques used by Thomas in the poem, and examined the deeper meanings and themes that he was trying to convey. Ultimately, this poem is a testament to the power of human relationships, and the ways in which they can shape our lives and our emotions.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

From Love's First Fever To Her Plague: A Masterpiece of Dylan Thomas

Dylan Thomas, the Welsh poet, is known for his unique style of writing and his ability to create vivid imagery through his words. His poem, From Love's First Fever To Her Plague, is a masterpiece that explores the different stages of love and how it can lead to both joy and pain. In this article, we will analyze and explain this classic poem in detail.

The poem is divided into three stanzas, each representing a different stage of love. The first stanza talks about the initial stage of love, where everything is new and exciting. The second stanza talks about the middle stage of love, where the initial excitement has faded away, and the relationship has become more stable. The third and final stanza talks about the end stage of love, where the relationship has ended, and the pain of separation is felt.

The first stanza starts with the line, "From love's first fever to her plague, from the soft second / And to the hollow of the curtained bone." The use of the word "fever" suggests that love is a disease that one can catch, and the use of the word "plague" suggests that it can be deadly. The line "from the soft second / And to the hollow of the curtained bone" suggests that love is not just a physical feeling but also a mental one that can affect the very core of a person.

The second line of the stanza, "From the red whisper mouth to the bellied root," suggests that love is not just a feeling but also a physical sensation that can be felt in the body. The use of the word "whisper" suggests that love is a secret that is shared between two people, and the use of the word "bellied" suggests that it is a feeling that can grow and expand within a person.

The second stanza talks about the middle stage of love, where the initial excitement has faded away, and the relationship has become more stable. The stanza starts with the line, "From the green mirage of the eyes on the quivering page / To the platinum hair and avid heart that wears." The use of the word "mirage" suggests that the initial excitement of love can be deceiving and that it can fade away with time. The use of the word "platinum" suggests that the relationship has become more valuable and precious with time.

The second line of the stanza, "From the mirroring shell and the beating berry / To the ticking blood and the dying sky," suggests that love is not just a feeling but also a physical sensation that can be felt in the body. The use of the word "mirroring" suggests that the two people in the relationship have become more alike with time, and the use of the word "beating" suggests that their hearts are still connected. The use of the word "ticking" suggests that time is running out, and the use of the word "dying" suggests that the relationship is coming to an end.

The third and final stanza talks about the end stage of love, where the relationship has ended, and the pain of separation is felt. The stanza starts with the line, "From the first falling star to the bone hospital / He lies where love has placed him, cold as snow." The use of the word "falling star" suggests that the relationship has ended suddenly and unexpectedly, and the use of the word "bone hospital" suggests that the pain of separation is felt in the very core of a person.

The second line of the stanza, "His curse rides through the Styx on a black wind," suggests that the pain of separation is so intense that it feels like a curse that cannot be lifted. The use of the word "Styx" suggests that the pain is so intense that it feels like a journey to the underworld, and the use of the word "black" suggests that it is a dark and painful journey.

The final line of the poem, "Love's the stake and when blood burns, / Through the thrown thunder of heaven involved / With flesh and by no more a word / The flood is blotted from the vein and love / The torrent in the vein, / Raging, unresisted, free," suggests that love is a powerful force that can both bring joy and pain. The use of the word "stake" suggests that love is a gamble, and the use of the word "blood" suggests that it can be a painful one. The use of the word "thunder" suggests that love is a powerful force that can shake the very foundations of a person's life, and the use of the word "flood" suggests that it can be overwhelming. The use of the word "torrent" suggests that love is a force that cannot be controlled, and the use of the word "raging" suggests that it can be destructive.

In conclusion, From Love's First Fever To Her Plague is a masterpiece that explores the different stages of love and how it can lead to both joy and pain. Dylan Thomas's use of vivid imagery and powerful language creates a poem that is both beautiful and haunting. Love is a powerful force that can both bring joy and pain, and this poem captures that perfectly.

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