'Preludes' by Thomas Stearns Eliot
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I
The winter evening settles down
With smell of steaks in passageways.
Six o'clock.
The burnt-out ends of smoky days.
And now a gusty shower wraps
The grimy scraps
Of withered leaves about your feet
And newspapers from vacant lots;
The showers beat
On broken blinds and chimney-pots,
And at the corner of the street
A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.
And then the lighting of the lamps.
II
The morning comes to consciousness
Of faint stale smells of beer
From the sawdust-trampled street
With all its muddy feet that press
To early coffee-stands.
With the other masquerades
That time resumes,
One thinks of all the hands
That are raising dingy shades
In a thousand furnished rooms.
III
You tossed a blanket from the bed,
You lay upon your back, and waited;
You dozed, and watched the night revealing
The thousand sordid images
Of which your soul was constituted;
They flickered against the ceiling.
And when all the world came back
And the light crept up between the shutters,
And you heard the sparrows in the gutters,
You had such a vision of the street
As the street hardly understands;
Sitting along the bed's edge, where
You curled the papers from your hair,
Or clasped the yellow soles of feet
In the palms of both soiled hands.
IV
His soul stretched tight across the skies
That fade behind a city block,
Or trampled by insistent feet
At four and five and six o'clock;
And short square fingers stuffing pipes,
And evening newspapers, and eyes
Assured of certain certainties,
The conscience of a blackened street
Impatient to assume the world.
I am moved by fancies that are curled
Around these images, and cling:
The notion of some infinitely gentle
Infinitely suffering thing.
Wipe your hand across your mouth, and laugh;
The worlds revolve like ancient women
Gathering fuel in vacant lots.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Preludes by T.S. Eliot: A Deep Dive into Urban Desolation
When it comes to modernist poetry, few names loom as large as T.S. Eliot. His landmark works, such as "The Waste Land" and "Four Quartets," have earned him a reputation as one of the most important poets of the 20th century. However, Eliot's oeuvre extends far beyond those two famous poems. In this essay, I will be exploring another one of his works: "Preludes."
"Preludes" is a series of four poems that were first published in 1917 as part of Eliot's debut collection, "Prufrock and Other Observations." While the poems are often grouped together as a single work, they can be read independently of one another. Each poem paints a picture of urban desolation, showing the darker side of city life in the early 20th century. Through vivid imagery, Eliot captures the isolation and despair that can come with living in a modern metropolis.
"The winter evening settles down"
The first poem in the series sets the tone for the entire work. The opening lines are some of the most famous in all of Eliot's poetry:
The winter evening settles down
With smell of steaks in passageways.
Six o'clock.
The burnt-out ends of smoky days.
And now a gusty shower wraps
The grimy scraps
Of withered leaves about your feet
And newspapers from vacant lots;
The showers beat
On broken blinds and chimney-pots,
And at the corner of the street
A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.
Right from the outset, we get a sense of the dreariness of city life. The "smell of steaks in passageways" suggests a sort of low-rent squalor, while the "burnt-out ends of smoky days" hint at a sense of exhausted desperation. The gusty shower and the withered leaves add to the sense of decay, as does the mention of the "vacant lots" and the "broken blinds and chimney-pots."
The last two lines of the stanza introduce the first of many recurring motifs in the poem: the lonely cab-horse. The horse, steaming and stamping in the corner of the street, is a symbol of the isolation and alienation that runs throughout "Preludes." It is a creature out of place in the modern city, a reminder of a simpler, more rural time.
"The morning comes to consciousness"
The second poem in the series, "The morning comes to consciousness," continues the theme of urban decay. However, it also introduces a new element: the idea of routine. The poem begins:
Of the damp souls of housemaids
Sprouting despondently at area gates.
Morning comes to consciousness
Of faint stale smells of beer
From the sawdust-trampled street
With all its muddy feet that press
To early coffee-stands.
Here, Eliot is painting a portrait of the city waking up. The "damp souls of housemaids" suggest a sort of downtrodden, working-class existence. The "faint stale smells of beer" add to the sense of squalor, while the "muddy feet that press / To early coffee-stands" underscore the idea of routine.
A key moment in the poem comes in the third stanza:
You tossed a blanket from the bed,
You lay upon your back, and waited;
You dozed, and watched the night revealing
The thousand sordid images
Of which your soul was constituted;
They flickered against the ceiling.
And when all the world came back
And the light crept up between the shutters,
And you heard the sparrows in the gutters,
You had such a vision of the street
As the street hardly understands;
Sitting along the bed's edge, where
You curled the papers from your hair,
Or clasped the yellow soles of feet
In the palms of both soiled hands.
This stanza is one of the most powerful in the entire poem. It describes a moment of intense introspection, as the speaker lies in bed and contemplates their existence. The "thousand sordid images / Of which your soul was constituted" suggest a deep-seated sense of despair. However, the final lines of the stanza provide a glimmer of hope. The speaker is able to see the street in a new light, as if they are experiencing it for the first time.
"The winter evening settles down"
The third poem in the series is a brief, two-line meditation on the city:
His soul stretched tight across the skies
That fade behind a city block,
Or trampled by insistent feet
At four and five and six o'clock.
Here, the speaker is pondering the vastness of the city, and how it can swallow up individual souls. The "city block" is a powerful symbol of urban life, representing both the cramped, claustrophobic nature of the city and the anonymity that comes with being just another face in the crowd.
"The morning at the window"
The final poem in the series, "The morning at the window," returns to the theme of routine. The poem begins:
They are rattling breakfast plates in basement kitchens,
And along the trampled edges of the street
I am aware of the damp souls of housemaids
Sprouting despondently at area gates.
Again, we see the working-class existence of the city, with the "damp souls of housemaids" and the "breakfast plates in basement kitchens." However, the poem takes a turn in the second stanza:
The burnt-out ends of smoky days
And now a gusty shower wraps
The grimy scraps
Of withered leaves about your feet
And newspapers from vacant lots;
The showers beat
On broken blinds and chimney-pots,
And at the corner of the street
A lonely cab-horse steams and stamps.
Sound familiar? That's because these lines are nearly identical to the opening stanza of the first poem in the series, "The winter evening settles down." By repeating this stanza, Eliot is emphasizing the cyclical nature of urban life. Every day is the same, with the same sights, sounds, and smells. The speaker is trapped in a never-ending cycle of routine, unable to break free.
Conclusion
"Preludes" is a powerful work of modernist poetry that captures the isolation and despair of urban life. Through vivid imagery and a keen eye for detail, T.S. Eliot paints a picture of a world that is both squalid and routine, where the only escape is in moments of introspection. While the four poems in the series can be read independently of one another, they are most powerful when taken as a whole. By repeating certain images and motifs throughout the work, Eliot emphasizes the cyclical nature of existence in the city. "Preludes" may be a century old, but its themes and imagery are as relevant today as they were in 1917.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Introduction
Thomas Stearns Eliot is one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century. His works have been studied and analyzed by scholars and enthusiasts alike for decades. One of his most famous works is the collection of poems titled "Preludes." This collection was published in 1917 and is considered a classic in the world of poetry. In this article, we will take a closer look at "Preludes" and analyze its themes, structure, and style.
Themes
The themes of "Preludes" are varied and complex. The poems in this collection explore the human condition, the nature of modernity, and the decay of society. Eliot's poems are often bleak and pessimistic, reflecting the disillusionment and despair of the post-World War I era.
One of the main themes of "Preludes" is the alienation and isolation of modern life. Eliot portrays the city as a cold and impersonal place, where people are disconnected from each other and from their surroundings. In the poem "Preludes I," he writes:
"The morning comes to consciousness Of faint stale smells of beer From the sawdust-trampled street With all its muddy feet that press To early coffee-stands."
Here, Eliot describes the city as a place where the air is thick with the smell of alcohol and the streets are dirty and crowded. The people in the city are portrayed as anonymous and faceless, rushing to their jobs and ignoring the world around them.
Another theme of "Preludes" is the decay of society. Eliot's poems are filled with images of decay and destruction, reflecting the sense of despair and hopelessness that pervaded the post-war era. In the poem "Preludes II," he writes:
"The winter evening settles down With smell of steaks in passageways. Six o'clock. The burnt-out ends of smoky days."
Here, Eliot describes the city as a place where the air is thick with the smell of cooking meat and the streets are dark and empty. The image of the "burnt-out ends of smoky days" suggests a world that has lost its vitality and energy.
Structure
The structure of "Preludes" is complex and innovative. Eliot's poems are written in free verse, with no set rhyme or meter. This allows him to experiment with different forms and structures, creating a sense of fragmentation and dislocation that reflects the themes of his poems.
One of the most striking features of "Preludes" is its use of repetition. Eliot repeats certain phrases and images throughout the collection, creating a sense of continuity and unity. For example, the phrase "the burnt-out ends of smoky days" appears in both "Preludes II" and "Preludes IV," linking these two poems thematically.
Another important structural element of "Preludes" is its use of imagery. Eliot's poems are filled with vivid and evocative images, such as the "faint stale smells of beer" in "Preludes I" and the "yellow smoke that rubs its muzzle" in "Preludes III." These images create a sense of atmosphere and mood, helping to convey the themes of the poems.
Style
Eliot's style in "Preludes" is characterized by its use of fragmentation and dislocation. His poems are often composed of short, fragmented lines that create a sense of disorientation and confusion. This reflects the themes of his poems, which explore the alienation and isolation of modern life.
Another important stylistic element of "Preludes" is its use of allusion. Eliot's poems are filled with references to other works of literature and art, such as the line "I am no prophet—and here's no great matter" from Shakespeare's "Henry V" in "Preludes IV." These allusions create a sense of depth and complexity, inviting the reader to engage with the poems on multiple levels.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "Preludes" is a complex and innovative collection of poems that explores the themes of modernity, alienation, and decay. Eliot's use of repetition, imagery, and allusion creates a sense of unity and continuity throughout the collection, while his use of fragmentation and dislocation reflects the themes of his poems. "Preludes" remains a classic of modernist poetry, and its themes and style continue to resonate with readers today.
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