Poetry: Top 5 Poems

Sonnet 29

"I think of thee! – my thoughts do twine and bud / About thee, as wild vines, about a tree..."

• In the first line the poem’s title is repeated, and the narrator addresses her lover directly, which makes the poem seem more personal.

• The structural use of putting “I” and “thee” in the same line display their separation and her longing to be closer to him. It could also signify that they are literally only a few words apart, so the distance can be overcome.

• The repetition of “think” and “thoughts” shows how she can only be present with him in her imagination because of the physical distance between them. There’s a barrier in their love.

• Natural imagery shows how her thoughts focus on him like a vine wraps around a tree, this signifies how her thoughts are constantly growing and developing. It could also suggest how she cannot stop thinking about him and there is no escape, hence her thoughts are uncontrollable.

• The metaphor of “wild vines” represents the narrator and the “tree” as her lover. This is emphasized by the internal rhyme of “thee” and “tree”

Sonnet 29

"Rather, instantly, Renew they presence; as a strong tree should, Rustle thy boughs and set thy trunk all bare"

• “Renew” and “Rustle” are imperatives and alliteration which emphasize how much she wants him to act, it also connotes urgency.

• Sexual and erotic references in the extended metaphor of setting “thy trunk all bare” as she wants to see all of him.

• “As a strong tree should” is a simile which uses his masculinity to persuade him to come to her

• “Rustle” provides alliteration which has animalistic connotations, mimicking the sound of animals and demonstrates the wildness she feels due to her desire.

Sonnet 29
Form:

• Sonnet form: used for love poetry.

• Written in the Petrarchan form: octave (8 lines) and sestet (6 lines)

• The octave presents a problem (their physical distance, love barrier)

• The solution to said problems arrive in the middle of line 7, however in this poem it arrives early, signifying her impatience.

Sonnet 29

Structure:

• The reversal of the first and last lines emphasizes the difference between her imagination and the reality of being with her lover. She says “I think of thee!” but by the end she says she’ll no longer think of him because he’s “too near”

Sonnet 29
Natural Imagery:

• Extended metaphors are used throughout the poem. The narrator’s lover is a “tree” and her thoughts are “wild vines” which cover him.

Sonnet 29

Feelings & Attitudes:

• Longing - Narrator longs to be with her lover

• Intensity - She thinks about her lover all the time, her language is forceful

• Celebration - She takes pleasure in her feelings for him even greater joy in the thought of his physical presence in her life