TOMARGUERITE

YES!intheseaoflifeenisld,
Withechoingstraitsbetweenusthrown,
Dottingtheshorelesswaterywild,
Wemortalmillionslive
alone
.
Theislandsfeeltheenclaspingflow,
Andthentheirendlessboundstheyknow.
Butwhenthemoontheirhollowslights,
Andtheyaresweptbybalmsofspring,
Andintheirglens,onstarrynights,
Thenightingalesdivinelysing
Andlovelynotes,fromshoretoshore,
Acrossthesoundsandchannelspour
Oh!thenalonginglikedespair
Istotheirfarthestcavernssent
Forsurelyonce,theyfeel,wewere
Partsofasinglecontinent!
Nowroundusspreadsthewateryplain
Ohmightourmargesmeetagain!
Whoorderd,thattheirlongingsfire
Shouldbe,assoonaskindled,coold?
Whorendersvaintheirdeepdesire?
AGod,aGodtheirseveranceruld!
Andbadebetwixttheirshorestobe
Theunplumbd,salt,estrangingsea.
MatthewArnold(18221888)

MatthewArnold
GLOSSARY

Enisld
tomakeintoanisland
Enclasping:
toclasporholdinanembrace
Balms:
asubstancewhichsoothes
Marges:
edges,margins
Severance:
breakingapart
Bade:
ordered
Betwixt:
between
Unplumbd:
adepthwhichcannotbemeasured
Estranging:
pushingapart

WHATISTHEMEANINGOFTHEPOEM?
Inthefirststanzaofthepoem,thepoetcompareshumanstoislands.Thissuggestshow
distantwearefromoneanother.Hepaintsanimageofavastseabetweentheislands
(people),andemphasisestheirseparationthroughtheline"Wemortalmillionslivealone."
Thefinalwordofthelineisputintoitalicstoemphasiseitandthelinestopsatthatpoint.It
conveysthesadnessoffeelingaloneinsociety.

Inthesecondstanzatheseislandsaredrawntooneanother,throughthelovelysoundsof
birdssinging,soundswhichdriftbetweentheislands.Thepoetexpresseshisdesirefor
humanconnection,whichmodernsocietylacks.Eachislandcanhearthenightingalessing
fromotherislands,abeautifulsoundthatisneverthelesstoodistanttoreach.Weknowthat
thereisjoyinconnection,butcannotachievethat.

Hesuggeststhatwemusthaveoncebeentogetherallthe"islands"musthaveoncebeenone
"continent."InprehistorictimesBritainwasjoinedtoEuropeasalandmass.Hedesperately
wishesthatthewaterbetweentheislandswouldrecedesothatthelandformsmightmeet
again.Helongsforasenseoftogethernessbetweenpeople.

Inthefinalstanza,heaskswhatpowercouldpossiblykeeploversapartlikethis,and"render
vaintheirdeepdesire."Theanswer,hestates,isGodtheGodofthemodernworlddoes
notprovidethesamehopeandconnectionthatHeoncedid,sincemuchoffaithistaintedby
science.

Thefinallinewiththemetaphoroftheseaasunplumbed,salt,estrangingisvery
pessimisticasheissayingthatGodswillhasdeterminedthatmanshallbeseparatedbya
seawhichcannotbeknown,ispainfulanddrivespeopleapart.

Theundercurrentofthepoemisascepticisminscientificdiscoveryandanimplicationthat
thereismorefaithinsciencethanGodnow.Forthepoet,thismakesusspirituallydistant
fromoneanother.

ThepoemstitleisToMargueritemayrefertoanunfulfilledloverelationship.

WHATARETHEMAINTHEMESANDIDEAS?

Manlivesalone,likeanislandseparatedfromothers.

Faithlossoffaithandlove

WHATARETHEMAINASPECTSOFSTYLEWHICHAREEFFECTIVE?

Themainmetaphorcomparespeopletoislands.Britainisanislandseparatedfromthe
continentbyanechoingstrait,theEnglishChannel.

Therhymeschemeisababccandthefinalrhymingcoupletofeachstanzagivesa
senseofcontrol.