... igen, az esszé. Megírtam. Nem tudom, szerintem gázos, pláne, hogy sose írtam még összehasonlító elemzést két versről. De azért igyekeztem minden tőlem telhetőt megtenni, kihozni magamból az igazi rizsázó bölcsészt. :D Sőt, van egy kedvenc mondatom is, amibe háromszor is belefoglaltam ugyanazt az igét, csak ugye három különböző kifejezéssel/szóval. :D Na, ha az esszére nem is, de arra a mondatra iszonyat büszke vagyok! :D
Here we go...
„Seize the day!” – wrote Horace in his Odes. Improve the time; enjoy the present day, live each day, as it is your last day. Can we make it? Can we live for the moment? Can we shout out loud without doubt „carpe diem”? We can try at least. I would like to introduce two approaches to ‘carpe diem’ through poems written by Andrew Marvel (1621-1678) and Denise Levertov (1923-1997) and try to show how they interpret this expression, in what way they agree and differ.
At first I want to write shortly about the structure and versification of the poems because I think it is important to look at it a bit. ‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Marvell is an iambic tetrameter poem rhyming as couplets and using a hyperbole. It is divided into three stanzas within a dialectical structure. The author puts opposites together – thesis (stanza 1) and antithesis (stanza 2) – then in the last part – synthesis (stanza 3) – he traces a solution. ‘Living’ by Levertov has no rhyme scheme and the dissection of the poem has no regular system.
While Marvell’s poem is well structured, Levertov’s is a free verse. As I see, Marvell’s message is more complex and harder to express and his way of the structure shows more concentration on the point. Levertov uses free lines without any decoration, as if she might not want to say an important message – she briefly tells what the point is, not more and not less.
As the title says, Marvell wrote his poem “to his coy mistress”, a shy lady he wants to seduce. In the first stanza he honestly writes about his love to this young lady; his aim is to get her but strangely he wants the lady not to cave in, so his “vegetable love” (L.11) can grow bigger and become stronger. He uses various allusions: geographical, like “the Indian Ganges’ side” (L.5) and “by the tide / Of Humber” (L.6-7); and Biblical, like “ten years before the Flood” (L.8) and “Till the conversion of the Jews” (L.10). He also uses adjectives and numbers, which with the mentioned allusions express exaggeration, infinity and eternity of time and space. The second stanza is more pessimistic, showing time passing quite roughly with the line “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near” (L.22) and words such as “vault” (L.26), “worms” (L.27), “grave” (L.31). These show that human life is doomed to pass away; hence Marvell’s desire will disappear with the mistress’ beauty. The third stanza reflects the true ‘carpe diem’ feeling: they should make love while they may and enjoy themselves until they can. They can’t affect the duration of their lives but they can make the best of it.
Levertov’s poem has no addressing. In “Living” the poetess shows how time and nature end, even though these notions are endless. She uses simple and fine adjectives, e.g. “delicate” (L.9), not many verbs and colours representing life and hope. The shivering of the leaves might represent that the gifts of life are not stable and the “wind” (L.4), a higher power influences our circumstances. “A red salamander / so cold and so easy to catch” (L.7-8) may resemble to human life which, though is not always as sweet as we want it to be, it is easy to grab it, to take it – obviously live it. However, we have the right to let it go anytime we feel like – Levertov writes that “I hold / my hand open for him to go” (L.10-11). The ‘carpe diem’ lines are “each summer the last summer” (L.3), “each day the last day” (L.6) and “Each minute the last minute” (L.12). These obviously show little optimism – not much, however – and through the images of nature the whole poem is simply mild, as “delicate” (L.9) as the feet of the salamander.
There are not many similarities between the two poems because they seem to show diverse ways of seizing the day. Marvel wrote his poem in the seventeenth century in his thirties, while serving and helping Oliver Cromwell. He was neither young, nor old to have fear of passing away, or probably not insinuating himself into favour of a lady. On the contrary, Levertov was a twentieth century feminist who wrote her discussed poem in her forties during the Vietnam War when she started to deal with politics and war in her poetry more actively. I think, in “Living” we can also find references to a disillusioned thinking and attitude towards life.
It is eye-catching, too that the poems were written by a man and a woman. It is not surprising to draw a distinction in terms of gender, especially when we look at poems. In this case – as I see – the male poet is more specific in sharing his ideas and foreseeing possibilities to be expected. He sees both the good and bad sides, is keen on captivating the lady and gives a solution or more particularly a prediction in the end. In contrast with Marvel, Levertov does not write about the past or the future, she uses present tense and shows what is happening. For me this represents release and slipping away of what has not to be given in.
Levertov’s poem motivates us on further thinking, while Marvell’s lines draw a whole process of time passing. In my opinion, for the poetess this passing is so easy and she doesn’t seem to worry about it. Marvell has much more at stake: his „lust” (L.30), pleasure and possibly a pretty and smart woman he wants to persuade to make love with him. His poem shows excitement, enthusiasm and affection, whereas Levertov’s poem is calm and peaceful.
Reading and analysing the poems pointed out to me that they have not much in common, except the basic idea of ‘carpe diem’, although the authors seem to perceive it differently and their aspects contrast two dissimilar views. The most important contextual differences are on the score of culture, history, age, gender and comprehension. Furthermore another significance is that the poems are dialectical structure versus free verse. I think, Marvell is somewhat sexist and too precise but not bulk rate because it is adorable how he plays with words and his way of writing makes the poem a beautiful confession. However, hearing something what Marvell was trying to express would almost certainly fray my nerves. Levertov is gentler through her thoughts; she picks her words judiciously, which almost perfectly describe her conception and feelings. In addition, as a hedonic term, ‘carpe diem’ is better described by Marvell because he really wants to make the best of the present moment, though Levertov’s poem seems to me much more impressive.
Here we go...
„Seize the day!” – wrote Horace in his Odes. Improve the time; enjoy the present day, live each day, as it is your last day. Can we make it? Can we live for the moment? Can we shout out loud without doubt „carpe diem”? We can try at least. I would like to introduce two approaches to ‘carpe diem’ through poems written by Andrew Marvel (1621-1678) and Denise Levertov (1923-1997) and try to show how they interpret this expression, in what way they agree and differ.
At first I want to write shortly about the structure and versification of the poems because I think it is important to look at it a bit. ‘To His Coy Mistress’ by Marvell is an iambic tetrameter poem rhyming as couplets and using a hyperbole. It is divided into three stanzas within a dialectical structure. The author puts opposites together – thesis (stanza 1) and antithesis (stanza 2) – then in the last part – synthesis (stanza 3) – he traces a solution. ‘Living’ by Levertov has no rhyme scheme and the dissection of the poem has no regular system.
While Marvell’s poem is well structured, Levertov’s is a free verse. As I see, Marvell’s message is more complex and harder to express and his way of the structure shows more concentration on the point. Levertov uses free lines without any decoration, as if she might not want to say an important message – she briefly tells what the point is, not more and not less.
As the title says, Marvell wrote his poem “to his coy mistress”, a shy lady he wants to seduce. In the first stanza he honestly writes about his love to this young lady; his aim is to get her but strangely he wants the lady not to cave in, so his “vegetable love” (L.11) can grow bigger and become stronger. He uses various allusions: geographical, like “the Indian Ganges’ side” (L.5) and “by the tide / Of Humber” (L.6-7); and Biblical, like “ten years before the Flood” (L.8) and “Till the conversion of the Jews” (L.10). He also uses adjectives and numbers, which with the mentioned allusions express exaggeration, infinity and eternity of time and space. The second stanza is more pessimistic, showing time passing quite roughly with the line “Time’s winged chariot hurrying near” (L.22) and words such as “vault” (L.26), “worms” (L.27), “grave” (L.31). These show that human life is doomed to pass away; hence Marvell’s desire will disappear with the mistress’ beauty. The third stanza reflects the true ‘carpe diem’ feeling: they should make love while they may and enjoy themselves until they can. They can’t affect the duration of their lives but they can make the best of it.
Levertov’s poem has no addressing. In “Living” the poetess shows how time and nature end, even though these notions are endless. She uses simple and fine adjectives, e.g. “delicate” (L.9), not many verbs and colours representing life and hope. The shivering of the leaves might represent that the gifts of life are not stable and the “wind” (L.4), a higher power influences our circumstances. “A red salamander / so cold and so easy to catch” (L.7-8) may resemble to human life which, though is not always as sweet as we want it to be, it is easy to grab it, to take it – obviously live it. However, we have the right to let it go anytime we feel like – Levertov writes that “I hold / my hand open for him to go” (L.10-11). The ‘carpe diem’ lines are “each summer the last summer” (L.3), “each day the last day” (L.6) and “Each minute the last minute” (L.12). These obviously show little optimism – not much, however – and through the images of nature the whole poem is simply mild, as “delicate” (L.9) as the feet of the salamander.
There are not many similarities between the two poems because they seem to show diverse ways of seizing the day. Marvel wrote his poem in the seventeenth century in his thirties, while serving and helping Oliver Cromwell. He was neither young, nor old to have fear of passing away, or probably not insinuating himself into favour of a lady. On the contrary, Levertov was a twentieth century feminist who wrote her discussed poem in her forties during the Vietnam War when she started to deal with politics and war in her poetry more actively. I think, in “Living” we can also find references to a disillusioned thinking and attitude towards life.
It is eye-catching, too that the poems were written by a man and a woman. It is not surprising to draw a distinction in terms of gender, especially when we look at poems. In this case – as I see – the male poet is more specific in sharing his ideas and foreseeing possibilities to be expected. He sees both the good and bad sides, is keen on captivating the lady and gives a solution or more particularly a prediction in the end. In contrast with Marvel, Levertov does not write about the past or the future, she uses present tense and shows what is happening. For me this represents release and slipping away of what has not to be given in.
Levertov’s poem motivates us on further thinking, while Marvell’s lines draw a whole process of time passing. In my opinion, for the poetess this passing is so easy and she doesn’t seem to worry about it. Marvell has much more at stake: his „lust” (L.30), pleasure and possibly a pretty and smart woman he wants to persuade to make love with him. His poem shows excitement, enthusiasm and affection, whereas Levertov’s poem is calm and peaceful.
Reading and analysing the poems pointed out to me that they have not much in common, except the basic idea of ‘carpe diem’, although the authors seem to perceive it differently and their aspects contrast two dissimilar views. The most important contextual differences are on the score of culture, history, age, gender and comprehension. Furthermore another significance is that the poems are dialectical structure versus free verse. I think, Marvell is somewhat sexist and too precise but not bulk rate because it is adorable how he plays with words and his way of writing makes the poem a beautiful confession. However, hearing something what Marvell was trying to express would almost certainly fray my nerves. Levertov is gentler through her thoughts; she picks her words judiciously, which almost perfectly describe her conception and feelings. In addition, as a hedonic term, ‘carpe diem’ is better described by Marvell because he really wants to make the best of the present moment, though Levertov’s poem seems to me much more impressive.
"I think, Marvell is somewhat sexist and too precise but not bulk rate because it is adorable how he plays with words and his way of writing makes the poem a beautiful confession." Nekem ez a kedvenc mondatom.:) Amúgymeg az enyém full rizsa a tiédhez képest Dr. Udvardi:D
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