The poem was written in 1925 by Marina Tsvetaeva, a significant 20th-century Russian poet.
The goal is to analyze the poetry focusing on the rhythm and the ideas instead of of the literal content in Russian.
Rhythm and Associations
The rhythm of the poem is not like a march; it's tripartite with three syllables, creating an irregular pace.
The rhythm has breaks, violating regularity, akin to a waltz with an extra step.
Focus on Poetry
The use of Russian is intentional to shift focus from content and naive translation preoccupation to the poetic elements.
Vocabulary isn't just content; it's a layer of expression requiring analysis.
The Prefix "Ras"
The prefix "ras" in Russian means "apart" or "in different directions."
This prefix emphasizes a sense of breaking and movement apart within the poem.
It evokes a feeling of loss or separation, like losing a partner in a waltz.
Translation and Interpretation
The English translation attempts to capture the essence of "ras" using words with the prefix "a-" (abreast, afield).
The poem explores themes of separation, moving apart, and being split.
The question shifts from "What is the poem about?" to "How is the poem about it?"
The rhythmic breaks and word choices (axed, split, asunder) reinforce the theme of separation.
Context and Meaning
Tsvetaeva's personal history (leaving Russia, separation from friends) adds context to the poem.
The poem's repetition evokes the idea of repetition compulsion.
Language's ability to describe itself is highlighted, connecting to conformity and the idea that the medium is the message.
The form of the poem mirrors and reinforces its content.
Performative Writing
Performative writing: The way something is written could also be the message.
September 11 Example
The terrorist attack and how the date aligns with the event formally resembles and embodies the event that makes certain people feel and experience a reaction which is either religious or artistic.
Religious vs. Poetic Response
Religious reaction: Seeks to minimize chance and randomness, finding meaning and explanation.
Poetic response: Commemorates chaotic events, creating meaning and overcoming chaos through art.
Art provides a way to cope with and immortalize experiences, turning chaos into something meaningful.
Tragedy and Consolation
Rhyme and poetic structure can offer consolation in tragedy by ennobling terrible events.
Tragedy elevates events to the level of fate, inevitability, and even beauty.
Coping with chaos involves finding patterns, meaning, and a sense of control through art.
Gumilev's Poem
Gumilev was executed by the Bolsheviks in 1921.
The word being halted to to cities being laid to waste relates that poetry describes the impossibility to describe something.
Poetry evokes the impossibility of expressing something.
Language and Poetry
Language is best when talking about itself, especially regarding the inability to express something.
Poetry, especially in earlier societies, was closely tied to religious and conformist traditions.
Verbal art's focus is crucial because language is often used to describe other systems, making the poetic function existential.
Poetry constructs reality, not just registers it.
Shakespeare's Sonnet 87
Sonnet 87 can be seen as an allegory of translation.
Harold Bloom's "The Anxiety of Influence" explores how artists avoid repeating predecessors.
The sonnet uses financial terminology (bonds, charter) which could be updated to modern terms.