'Four Quartets 1: Burnt Norton' by T.S. Eliot
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I
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
What might have been is an abstraction
Remaining a perpetual possibility
Only in a world of speculation.
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden. My words echo
Thus, in your mind.
But to what purpose
Disturbing the dust on a bowl of rose-leaves
I do not know.
Other echoes
Inhabit the garden. Shall we follow?
Quick, said the bird, find them, find them,
Round the corner. Through the first gate,
Into our first world, shall we follow
The deception of the thrush? Into our first world.
There they were, dignified, invisible,
Moving without pressure, over the dead leaves,
In the autumn heat, through the vibrant air,
And the bird called, in response to
The unheard music hidden in the shrubbery,
And the unseen eyebeam crossed, for the roses
Had the look of flowers that are looked at.
There they were as our guests, accepted and accepting.
So we moved, and they, in a formal pattern,
Along the empty alley, into the box circle,
To look down into the drained pool.
Dry the pool, dry concrete, brown edged,
And the pool was filled with water out of sunlight,
And the lotos rose, quietly, quietly,
The surface glittered out of heart of light,
And they were behind us, reflected in the pool.
Then a cloud passed, and the pool was empty.
Go, said the bird, for the leaves were full of children,
Hidden excitedly, containing laughter.
Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind
Cannot bear very much reality.
Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
II
Garlic and sapphires in the mud
Clot the bedded axle-tree.
The trilling wire in the blood
Sings below inveterate scars
Appeasing long forgotten wars.
The dance along the artery
The circulation of the lymph
Are figured in the drift of stars
Ascend to summer in the tree
We move above the moving tree
In light upon the figured leaf
And hear upon the sodden floor
Below, the boarhound and the boar
Pursue their pattern as before
But reconciled among the stars.
At the still point of the turning world. Neither flesh nor fleshless;
Neither from nor towards; at the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement. And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered. Neither movement from nor towards,
Neither ascent nor decline. Except for the point, the still point,
There would be no dance, and there is only the dance.
I can only say, there we have been: but I cannot say where.
And I cannot say, how long, for that is to place it in time.
The inner freedom from the practical desire,
The release from action and suffering, release from the inner
And the outer compulsion, yet surrounded
By a grace of sense, a white light still and moving,
Erhebung without motion, concentration
Without elimination, both a new world
And the old made explicit, understood
In the completion of its partial ecstasy,
The resolution of its partial horror.
Yet the enchainment of past and future
Woven in the weakness of the changing body,
Protects mankind from heaven and damnation
Which flesh cannot endure.
Time past and time future
Allow but a little consciousness.
To be conscious is not to be in time
But only in time can the moment in the rose-garden,
The moment in the arbour where the rain beat,
The moment in the draughty church at smokefall
Be remembered; involved with past and future.
Only through time time is conquered.
III
Here is a place of disaffection
Time before and time after
In a dim light: neither daylight
Investing form with lucid stillness
Turning shadow into transient beauty
With slow rotation suggesting permanence
Nor darkness to purify the soul
Emptying the sensual with deprivation
Cleansing affection from the temporal.
Neither plenitude nor vacancy. Only a flicker
Over the strained time-ridden faces
Distracted from distraction by distraction
Filled with fancies and empty of meaning
Tumid apathy with no concentration
Men and bits of paper, whirled by the cold wind
That blows before and after time,
Wind in and out of unwholesome lungs
Time before and time after.
Eructation of unhealthy souls
Into the faded air, the torpid
Driven on the wind that sweeps the gloomy hills of London,
Hampstead and Clerkenwell, Campden and Putney,
Highgate, Primrose and Ludgate. Not here
Not here the darkness, in this twittering world.
Descend lower, descend only
Into the world of perpetual solitude,
World not world, but that which is not world,
Internal darkness, deprivation
And destitution of all property,
Desiccation of the world of sense,
Evacuation of the world of fancy,
Inoperancy of the world of spirit;
This is the one way, and the other
Is the same, not in movement
But abstention from movement; while the world moves
In appetency, on its metalled ways
Of time past and time future.
IV
Time and the bell have buried the day,
The black cloud carries the sun away.
Will the sunflower turn to us, will the clematis
Stray down, bend to us; tendril and spray
Clutch and cling?
Chill
Fingers of yew be curled
Down on us? After the kingfisher's wing
Has answered light to light, and is silent, the light is still
At the still point of the turning world.
V
Words move, music moves
Only in time; but that which is only living
Can only die. Words, after speech, reach
Into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern,
Can words or music reach
The stillness, as a Chinese jar still
Moves perpetually in its stillness.
Not the stillness of the violin, while the note lasts,
Not that only, but the co-existence,
Or say that the end precedes the beginning,
And the end and the beginning were always there
Before the beginning and after the end.
And all is always now. Words strain,
Crack and sometimes break, under the burden,
Under the tension, slip, slide, perish,
Decay with imprecision, will not stay in place,
Will not stay still. Shrieking voices
Scolding, mocking, or merely chattering,
Always assail them. The Word in the desert
Is most attacked by voices of temptation,
The crying shadow in the funeral dance,
The loud lament of the disconsolate chimera.
The detail of the pattern is movement,
As in the figure of the ten stairs.
Desire itself is movement
Not in itself desirable;
Love is itself unmoving,
Only the cause and end of movement,
Timeless, and undesiring
Except in the aspect of time
Caught in the form of limitation
Between un-being and being.
Sudden in a shaft of sunlight
Even while the dust moves
There rises the hidden laughter
Of children in the foliage
Quick now, here, now, always—
Ridiculous the waste sad time
Stretching before and after.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Four Quartets 1: Burnt Norton by T.S. Eliot
Introduction
T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets is a series of four poems that explore the themes of time, memory, and spiritual transcendence. The first poem in the series, Burnt Norton, is widely considered one of the greatest poems of the 20th century. It was first published in 1936 and is named after a country house in Gloucestershire, England. The poem is divided into five parts and is written in free verse. It is a complex and deeply spiritual work that requires careful analysis and interpretation.
Part I
The first part of Burnt Norton introduces the themes that will be explored throughout the poem. Eliot begins by describing a garden where time has been suspended:
Time present and time past
Are both perhaps present in time future,
And time future contained in time past.
If all time is eternally present
All time is unredeemable.
The idea of time being both present and contained within itself is a central theme of the poem. Eliot suggests that time is not a linear progression but, rather, a circular or cyclical phenomenon in which the past, present, and future are all interconnected. He also hints at the idea that time is somehow "unredeemable," implying that there is something fundamentally broken about our relationship with time.
Part II
In the second part of Burnt Norton, Eliot explores the idea of memory and the role it plays in our perception of time. He writes:
Footfalls echo in the memory
Down the passage which we did not take
Towards the door we never opened
Into the rose-garden. My words echo
Thus, in your mind.
Eliot suggests that memory has the power to transport us to a time and place that no longer exists. He also implies that memory is a slippery and unreliable thing, prone to distortion and manipulation. The idea of the "rose-garden" is a recurring motif throughout the poem, representing a kind of Edenic paradise that we have lost touch with.
Part III
The third part of Burnt Norton is perhaps the most enigmatic and difficult to interpret. Eliot begins by describing a "still point" in the midst of a turning world:
At the still point, there the dance is,
But neither arrest nor movement.
And do not call it fixity,
Where past and future are gathered.
This passage is often interpreted as a representation of spiritual transcendence, with the "still point" representing a kind of mystical union with the divine. Eliot goes on to explore the idea of "the fire and the rose," which is another recurring motif throughout the poem. The fire represents the destructive and transformative power of time, while the rose represents the beauty and fragility of human life.
Part IV
The fourth part of Burnt Norton is perhaps the most straightforward and accessible. Eliot writes:
Time past and time future
What might have been and what has been
Point to one end, which is always present.
This passage reinforces the idea that time is not a linear progression but, rather, a cyclical phenomenon in which the past, present, and future are all interconnected. Eliot suggests that our perception of time is shaped by our memories and our hopes for the future, and that both of these things are fundamentally flawed.
Part V
The final part of Burnt Norton brings the themes of the poem to a kind of resolution. Eliot writes:
We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.
This passage suggests that the true purpose of our existence is to explore and seek out meaning in a world that is fundamentally mysterious and inscrutable. Eliot implies that the journey is more important than the destination, and that the ultimate goal is to see the world with fresh eyes and a renewed sense of wonder.
Conclusion
Four Quartets 1: Burnt Norton is a complex and deeply spiritual work that requires careful analysis and interpretation. The poem explores the themes of time, memory, and spiritual transcendence, and uses a variety of symbols and motifs to convey its message. Eliot suggests that time is not a linear progression but, rather, a cyclical phenomenon in which the past, present, and future are all interconnected. He also explores the idea of memory and the role it plays in our perception of time, and suggests that our perception of time is shaped by our memories and our hopes for the future. Ultimately, Eliot implies that the true purpose of our existence is to explore and seek out meaning in a world that is fundamentally mysterious and inscrutable, and that the ultimate goal is to see the world with fresh eyes and a renewed sense of wonder.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Four Quartets 1: Burnt Norton - A Masterpiece of Modernist Poetry
T.S. Eliot's Four Quartets is a collection of four long poems that explore the themes of time, memory, and spirituality. The first poem in the series, Burnt Norton, is widely regarded as a masterpiece of modernist poetry. Published in 1936, the poem is named after a country house in Gloucestershire, England, where Eliot spent some time in the 1930s. In this article, we will analyze and explain the poem in detail, exploring its themes, structure, and language.
The poem begins with a series of enigmatic lines that set the tone for the rest of the work:
"Time present and time past Are both perhaps present in time future, And time future contained in time past."
These lines suggest that time is not a linear progression but a cyclical phenomenon, where the past, present, and future are interconnected. Eliot goes on to describe the Burnt Norton estate, with its gardens, roses, and ruins. The imagery of the garden and the rose is a recurring motif in the poem, symbolizing the beauty and fragility of life.
The second section of the poem explores the idea of time as a destroyer of beauty and youth. Eliot writes:
"Footfalls echo in the memory Down the passage which we did not take Towards the door we never opened Into the rose-garden."
These lines suggest that the speaker is haunted by the memory of a missed opportunity, a path not taken. The rose-garden represents the beauty and joy of life, which the speaker has failed to fully experience. The passage of time has robbed him of his youth and vitality, leaving him with only memories and regrets.
The third section of the poem introduces the theme of redemption and spiritual renewal. Eliot writes:
"Go, go, go, said the bird: human kind Cannot bear very much reality."
These lines suggest that the speaker is being urged to confront the harsh realities of life, to face the truth about himself and the world around him. The bird represents a spiritual guide, urging the speaker to transcend his limited perspective and embrace a higher truth.
The fourth section of the poem explores the idea of time as a source of wisdom and enlightenment. Eliot writes:
"Time past and time future What might have been and what has been Point to one end, which is always present."
These lines suggest that the past and the future are not separate from the present but are part of a larger whole. The speaker is urged to embrace the wisdom of the past and the possibilities of the future, to see them as part of a larger spiritual journey.
The final section of the poem returns to the imagery of the garden and the rose, suggesting that the speaker has achieved a state of spiritual renewal and enlightenment. Eliot writes:
"Roses, roses There is nothing in the world Except the eternal."
These lines suggest that the beauty and fragility of life are part of a larger spiritual reality, which transcends time and space. The speaker has achieved a state of transcendence, where he sees the world in a new light, as part of a larger spiritual journey.
The structure of the poem is complex and intricate, with a series of interlocking themes and motifs. The poem is divided into five sections, each with its own distinct tone and imagery. The first section sets the tone for the rest of the work, introducing the theme of time and the imagery of the garden and the rose. The second section explores the idea of time as a destroyer of beauty and youth, while the third section introduces the theme of redemption and spiritual renewal. The fourth section explores the idea of time as a source of wisdom and enlightenment, while the final section returns to the imagery of the garden and the rose, suggesting that the speaker has achieved a state of spiritual renewal and enlightenment.
The language of the poem is rich and evocative, with a series of vivid images and metaphors. The imagery of the garden and the rose is a recurring motif, symbolizing the beauty and fragility of life. The bird represents a spiritual guide, urging the speaker to transcend his limited perspective and embrace a higher truth. The language of the poem is often enigmatic and elusive, with a series of paradoxes and contradictions. This reflects the complex and elusive nature of the themes explored in the poem.
In conclusion, Four Quartets 1: Burnt Norton is a masterpiece of modernist poetry, exploring the themes of time, memory, and spirituality. The poem is complex and intricate, with a series of interlocking themes and motifs. The language of the poem is rich and evocative, with a series of vivid images and metaphors. The poem is a testament to Eliot's mastery of language and his ability to explore complex themes in a profound and meaningful way.
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