'Dream Song 171: Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her or' by John Berryman


AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay


Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her or
storm out the message for her only ear
that she is beautiful.
Mention sunsets, be not silent of her eyes
and mouth and other prospects, praise her size,
say her figure is full.

Say her small figure is heavenly & full,
so as stunned Henry yatters like a fool
& maketh little sense.
Say she is soft in speech, stately in walking,
modest at gatherings, and in every thing
declare her excellence.

And forget not, when the rest is wholly done
and all of her splendors opened, one by one,
to add that she likes Henry,
for reasons unknown, and fate has bound them fast
one to another in linkages that last
and that are fair to see.

Editor 1 Interpretation

Dream Song 171: Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her

John Berryman's "Dream Song 171" is a powerful and complex poem that explores themes of loss, grief, and the struggle for meaning in a world that often feels senseless and chaotic. At its heart, the poem is a meditation on the nature of love, and the ways in which it can both heal and wound us.

Form and Structure

One of the most striking things about "Dream Song 171" is its form and structure. The poem consists of three stanzas, each containing six lines. The lines are short and often fragmented, with a variety of punctuations and rhythms that give the poem a sense of urgency and intensity.

At the same time, the poem is highly structured, with a strict rhyme scheme and a repeated refrain ("Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her"). This repetition serves to anchor the poem and give it a sense of cohesion, even as the language and imagery shift and morph from stanza to stanza.

Language and Imagery

The language and imagery of "Dream Song 171" are rich and complex, combining elements of dream imagery, mythological allusion, and everyday speech. At times, the poem reads like a surrealistic collage of disparate images and ideas, with lines like "The boat sinks in the sea, / Orion's studded belt / goes out."

At other times, the language is more straightforward and colloquial, as when the speaker addresses the "ill-sped book" that he sends to his lost love. Throughout the poem, Berryman uses language and imagery to create a sense of dislocation and fragmentation, as if the speaker is struggling to make sense of a world that is constantly slipping out of his grasp.

Themes and Interpretation

At its core, "Dream Song 171" is a deeply personal poem that explores the speaker's grief and longing for his lost love. The repeated refrain of "Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her" suggests a sense of desperation and futility, as if the speaker knows that his message will never reach its intended recipient.

At the same time, the poem is also a meditation on the nature of love itself, and the ways in which it can both heal and wound us. The image of the boat sinking in the sea, for example, suggests a sense of loss and despair, while the allusion to Orion's belt going out suggests a sense of cosmic chaos and instability.

Throughout the poem, the speaker seems to be searching for a sense of meaning and purpose in a world that often feels meaningless and chaotic. The repeated refrain of "Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her" suggests a kind of faith in the power of language and communication, even in the face of overwhelming loss and grief.

Conclusion

In conclusion, "Dream Song 171" is a powerful and complex poem that explores themes of loss, grief, and the struggle for meaning in a world that often feels senseless and chaotic. Through its rich language and imagery, strict form and structure, and deeply personal themes, the poem speaks to the universal human experience of love, loss, and the search for meaning and connection in a world that can often feel overwhelming and unknowable.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Dream Song 171: Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her is a classic poem written by John Berryman. This poem is a part of his famous collection of poems called The Dream Songs. The Dream Songs is a collection of 385 poems that Berryman wrote over a period of 14 years. The collection is known for its unique style, which combines elements of both traditional poetry and modernist poetry.

The poem Dream Song 171: Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her is a beautiful and haunting poem that explores the themes of love, loss, and memory. The poem is written in the form of a dream song, which is a type of poem that Berryman invented. The dream song is a type of poem that is characterized by its use of repetition, fragmented syntax, and dream-like imagery.

The poem begins with the speaker addressing a book that he has written. The book is described as being "ill-sped," which means that it has not been successful. The speaker then instructs the book to "whisper to her," which suggests that the book is a message to someone that the speaker loves.

The poem then shifts to a series of fragmented images and memories. The speaker remembers a time when he and his lover were together, and he describes the beauty of the moment. He then remembers a time when they were apart, and he describes the pain of the separation. The poem ends with the speaker asking the book to "whisper to her" once again, suggesting that he still loves her and wants to be with her.

One of the most striking features of this poem is its use of repetition. The phrase "whisper to her" is repeated several times throughout the poem, creating a sense of urgency and longing. The repetition also emphasizes the importance of the message that the book contains.

Another important feature of this poem is its use of fragmented syntax. The poem is written in short, fragmented sentences that create a sense of disorientation and confusion. This style of writing is meant to mimic the experience of a dream, where images and memories are often disjointed and fragmented.

The poem also makes use of dream-like imagery. The images in the poem are often surreal and strange, such as the image of a "blackened tree" and the image of a "dead man's face." These images create a sense of unease and mystery, adding to the dream-like quality of the poem.

The themes of love, loss, and memory are also central to this poem. The speaker is clearly in love with someone, but the relationship has been difficult and painful. The memories of the past are both beautiful and painful, and the speaker is haunted by them. The poem suggests that love is both a source of joy and a source of pain, and that memories can be both comforting and haunting.

In conclusion, Dream Song 171: Go, ill-sped book, and whisper to her is a beautiful and haunting poem that explores the themes of love, loss, and memory. The poem is characterized by its use of repetition, fragmented syntax, and dream-like imagery. The poem is a testament to Berryman's unique style and his ability to capture the complexities of human emotion.

Editor Recommended Sites

Dev Flowcharts: Flow charts and process diagrams, architecture diagrams for cloud applications and cloud security. Mermaid and flow diagrams
Training Course: The best courses on programming languages, tutorials and best practice
Compare Costs - Compare cloud costs & Compare vendor cloud services costs: Compare the costs of cloud services, cloud third party license software and business support services
Tree Learn: Learning path guides for entry into the tech industry. Flowchart on what to learn next in machine learning, software engineering
Cloud Architect Certification - AWS Cloud Architect & GCP Cloud Architect: Prepare for the AWS, Azure, GCI Architect Cert & Courses for Cloud Architects

Recommended Similar Analysis

Dejection: An Ode by Samuel Taylor Coleridge analysis
On Looking Into The Eyes Of A Demon Lover by Sylvia Plath analysis
TO MUSIC by Robert Herrick analysis
Woods in Winter by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow analysis
Carmel Point by Robinson Jeffers analysis
Samson Agonistes by John Milton analysis
Angel , The by William Blake analysis
Sixteen Dead Men by William Butler Yeats analysis
To The Virgins, To Make Much Of Time by Robert Herrick analysis
Mental Cases by Wilfred Owen analysis