Blaire Garrett
In Her Splendor Islanded - Octavio Paz
In her splendor islanded
This woman burning like a charm of jewels
An army terrifying and asleep
This woman lying within the night
Like clear water lying on closed eyes
In a tree's shadow
A waterfall halted halfway in its flight
A rapid narrow river suddenly frozen
At the foot of a great and seamless rock
At the foot of a mountain
She is lake-water in April as she lies
In her depths binding poplar and eucalyptus
Fishes or stars burning between her thighs
Shadow of birds scarcely hiding her sex
Her breasts two still villages under a peaceful sky
This woman lying here like a white stone
Like water in the moon in a dead crator
Not a sound in the night not moss nor sand
Only the slow budding of my words
At the ear of water at the ear of flesh
Unhurried running
And clear memorial
Here is the moment burning and returned
Drowning itself in itself and never consumed
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=2768
The image of the sun connects to the theme of the poem because both the sun and the woman in the poem are all-powerful over nature.
OCTAVIO PAZ - BIOGRAPHICAL INFO
Paraphrasing: In "In Her Splendor Islanded", a woman lies still and naked under the stars. All of nature surrounding her, including the waterfall and the river, is still.
Speaker: The speaker is an observer, mesmerized by the scene of this woman. The speaker also places himself into the scene of the poem: "Not a sound in the night not moss nor sand / Only the slow budding of my words".
Figurative language: The author uses figurative language to convey certain aspects about the subject of the poem. By writing "She is lake-water in April as she lies", the author uses imagery to communicate the subject's stillness, which is a vital part of the narrative. The line "Her breasts two still villages under a peaceful sky" uses figurative language to infuse meaning into the ordinary scene of a woman lying naked. This line communicates the wholeness of the woman, that even when naked she is complete and full of life.
Form: The poem has an interesting amount of rhyming: enough to be noticed throughout the poem, but not enough for the poem to be considered a rhyming poem. This use of semi-rhyming emphasizes the woman's understated power and together-ness, while also maintaining the subtle mysteriousness of the woman's nature.
Tone: The tone is one of awe, wonder, observation and appreciation. The speaker's view of the subject of the poem as beautiful impacts the reader so that each word of the poem has more emotional impact. The author's intention is for us to cradle each line gently in our palms, adopting the delicate mesmerization that the author portrays into our own minds as we read.
Theme: This poem is a tribute to the strength of a woman, that even in her bare skin, without any fortifications or protections, even without any witnesses, she has unmeasurable power. This power is observed by nature: the water stopping its motion, the noises around her seising. In her power and her beauty, the woman brings stillness upon everything.
In her splendor islanded
This woman burning like a charm of jewels
An army terrifying and asleep
This woman lying within the night
Like clear water lying on closed eyes
In a tree's shadow
A waterfall halted halfway in its flight
A rapid narrow river suddenly frozen
At the foot of a great and seamless rock
At the foot of a mountain
She is lake-water in April as she lies
In her depths binding poplar and eucalyptus
Fishes or stars burning between her thighs
Shadow of birds scarcely hiding her sex
Her breasts two still villages under a peaceful sky
This woman lying here like a white stone
Like water in the moon in a dead crator
Not a sound in the night not moss nor sand
Only the slow budding of my words
At the ear of water at the ear of flesh
Unhurried running
And clear memorial
Here is the moment burning and returned
Drowning itself in itself and never consumed
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poetrymagazine/browse?contentId=2768
The image of the sun connects to the theme of the poem because both the sun and the woman in the poem are all-powerful over nature.
OCTAVIO PAZ - BIOGRAPHICAL INFO
- Born 1914 in Mexico City
- Grew up surrounded by political journalists and literature
- Believed that poetry was "the secret religion of the modern age"
- Traveled to Spain, France, U.S., and India during his lifetime
- Recieved the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1990 "for impassioned writing with wide horizons, characterized by sensuous intelligence and humanistic integrity."(Nobel Peace Prize)
- https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1990/paz/biographical/
Paraphrasing: In "In Her Splendor Islanded", a woman lies still and naked under the stars. All of nature surrounding her, including the waterfall and the river, is still.
Speaker: The speaker is an observer, mesmerized by the scene of this woman. The speaker also places himself into the scene of the poem: "Not a sound in the night not moss nor sand / Only the slow budding of my words".
Figurative language: The author uses figurative language to convey certain aspects about the subject of the poem. By writing "She is lake-water in April as she lies", the author uses imagery to communicate the subject's stillness, which is a vital part of the narrative. The line "Her breasts two still villages under a peaceful sky" uses figurative language to infuse meaning into the ordinary scene of a woman lying naked. This line communicates the wholeness of the woman, that even when naked she is complete and full of life.
Form: The poem has an interesting amount of rhyming: enough to be noticed throughout the poem, but not enough for the poem to be considered a rhyming poem. This use of semi-rhyming emphasizes the woman's understated power and together-ness, while also maintaining the subtle mysteriousness of the woman's nature.
Tone: The tone is one of awe, wonder, observation and appreciation. The speaker's view of the subject of the poem as beautiful impacts the reader so that each word of the poem has more emotional impact. The author's intention is for us to cradle each line gently in our palms, adopting the delicate mesmerization that the author portrays into our own minds as we read.
Theme: This poem is a tribute to the strength of a woman, that even in her bare skin, without any fortifications or protections, even without any witnesses, she has unmeasurable power. This power is observed by nature: the water stopping its motion, the noises around her seising. In her power and her beauty, the woman brings stillness upon everything.
I think you created a thoughtful, deep analysis of "In Her Splendor Islanded." Perhaps Octavio Paz is conveying that the woman actually is the Earth- the river, villages, and rocks. She is the bedrock and foundation for natural and human prosperity. It may have been true that Paz was surrounded by many influential women during his lifetime, particularly childhood. His wife, mother, or sisters could have had a lasting impact on his views, which he chose to display in poetry.
ReplyDeleteYour analysis of this poem, particularly its theme, was very intricate and well-thought out. I would also like to add on to Rohan's suggestion that the woman may actually be Mother Earth, who is the rawest form of femininity there is. If Mother Earth truly is the subject of this poem, then the speaker may be presenting the idea that Earth and nature are beautiful and powerful when surrounded by what is natural: trees, water, and NO clothing. In this case, clothing would signify pollution, mass human interference, and a general imbalance in nature, all of which would bring harm to Earth. What I am suggesting is that the author wants to convey the importance of keeping Earth healthy and beautiful by letting what is natural remain the way it is, like letting a woman flourish by letting her be comfortable in her bare skin.
ReplyDeleteYour comments under the theme, tone, and form sections of you analysis really helped me understand the poem further. The use of the theme brought the poem together although I saw the poem in a different light. Your analysis made sense but I thought the use of nature to describe the woman made me think that he was saying that the world's beauty was the same as a woman's. The tone of the poem you described I thought was totally on point for the poem. Overall, I thought that your analysis of the poem showed a thoughtful understanding of the poem.
ReplyDelete