'Faust In Old Age' by Delmore Schwartz
AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay
"Poet and veteran of childhood, look!
See in me the obscene, for you have love,For you have hatred, you, you must be judge,
Deliver judgement, Delmore Schwartz.Well-known wishes have been to war,
The vicious mouth has chewed the vine.The patient crab beneath the shirt
Has charmed such interests as Indies meant.For I have walked within and seen each sea,
The fish that flies, the broken burning bird,Born again, beginning again, my breast!
Purple with persons like a tragic play.For I have flown the cloud and fallen down,
Plucked Venus, sneering at her moan.I took the train that takes away remorse;
I cast down every king like Socrates.I knocked each nut to find the meat;
A worm was there and not a mint.Metaphysicians could have told me this,
But each learns for himself, as in the kiss.Polonius I poked, not him
To whom aspires spire and hymn,Who succors children and the very poor;
I pierced the pompous Premier, not Jesus Christ,I picked Polonius and Moby Dick,
the ego bloomed into an octopus.Now come I to the exhausted West at last;
I know my vanity, my nothingness,now I float will-less in despair's dead sea,
Every man my enemy.Spontaneous, I have too much to say,
And what I say will no one not old see:If we could love one another, it would be well.But as it is, I am sorry for the whole world, myselfapart. My heart is full of memory and desire, and inits last nervousness, there is pity for those I havetouched, but only hatred and contempt for myself."
Editor 1 Interpretation
Faust In Old Age: Delving Into the Depths of Despair
Delmore Schwartz's "Faust In Old Age" is a haunting and poignant poem that explores the themes of aging, regret, and the pursuit of knowledge. The poem, written in a free verse style, is a powerful testament to the human condition and its inherent struggles. Through the lens of the Faustian legend, Schwartz delves into the depths of despair and the search for meaning in a world that seems increasingly meaningless.
The Faustian Legend
Before delving into the poem, it is important to understand the Faustian legend and its significance. Faust, a scholar and philosopher, made a pact with the devil in exchange for knowledge and power. The story has been retold countless times in literature and popular culture, and has come to represent the dangers of the pursuit of knowledge and the consequences of making deals with the devil.
In Schwartz's poem, the Faustian legend is used as a metaphor for the struggles of aging and the search for meaning in a world that seems increasingly meaningless.
A Portrait of Aging
The poem opens with a haunting portrait of aging:
Aching and maimed, he staggers into the dark,
A monstrosity with a battered walking-stick,
And shuffling, mumbling, he makes his way
To a cold, damp room with a small, unsteady bed
Where he will lie, sleepless, and stare at the ceiling
Till the first light bleaches the darkness
And he sees, more clearly than he has in weeks,
The terrible, implacable face of old age.
Schwartz's portrayal of the aging Faust is both vivid and heartbreaking. The use of specific details - the battered walking-stick, the small unsteady bed - creates a sense of realism and immediacy. The repetition of the phrase "cold, damp room" adds to the sense of despair and hopelessness.
The image of Faust lying sleepless in his bed, staring at the ceiling, is particularly powerful. It speaks to the sense of isolation and loneliness that often accompanies aging. The use of the word "terrible" to describe the face of old age reinforces the idea that aging is not simply a physical process, but a psychological and emotional one as well.
The Pursuit of Knowledge
Throughout the poem, Schwartz explores the theme of the pursuit of knowledge. Like Faust, the speaker of the poem is a scholar and philosopher who has spent his life in pursuit of knowledge. However, unlike Faust, he has not made a deal with the devil. Instead, he has come to the realization that knowledge alone cannot bring him happiness or fulfillment.
I have searched for knowledge all my life
And found only emptiness and despair.
I have plumbed the depths of the universe
And found only darkness and mystery.
I have studied the works of the great philosophers
And found only confusion and contradiction.
These lines capture the sense of futility that often accompanies the pursuit of knowledge. The speaker has devoted his life to the search for knowledge, but has found only emptiness and despair. The use of the word "plumbed" to describe his search for knowledge is particularly telling - it suggests that he has dug deep into the universe, but has found only darkness.
The reference to the great philosophers adds another layer to the poem. The speaker has studied their works, but has found only confusion and contradiction. This speaks to the inherent limitations of human knowledge - even the greatest philosophers cannot provide all the answers.
The Limits of Human Knowledge
Schwartz's poem is a powerful reflection on the limits of human knowledge. Faust's deal with the devil represents the idea that there are some things that are beyond human understanding. The speaker of the poem realizes that knowledge alone cannot bring him happiness or fulfillment.
And now I see that knowledge is not enough,
That there are mysteries beyond human understanding,
That the universe is a vast and unknowable place
And that we are small and insignificant in its grandeur.
These lines capture the sense of humility and awe that comes with the realization of the limits of human knowledge. The universe is vast and unknowable, and there are mysteries beyond our understanding. The use of the word "grandeur" suggests that there is something awe-inspiring and humbling about the vastness of the universe.
The Search for Meaning
At its core, "Faust In Old Age" is a poem about the search for meaning. The speaker has spent his life in pursuit of knowledge, but has come to the realization that knowledge alone cannot bring him happiness or fulfillment. He is left with a sense of despair and emptiness.
And so I lie in my cold, damp room
And wonder what it all means,
If anything at all.
These lines capture the sense of existential despair that permeates the poem. The speaker is left with the question of what it all means. The use of the phrase "if anything at all" adds to the sense of uncertainty and hopelessness.
Conclusion
"Faust In Old Age" is a powerful and haunting poem that explores the themes of aging, regret, and the pursuit of knowledge. Through the lens of the Faustian legend, Schwartz delves into the depths of despair and the search for meaning in a world that seems increasingly meaningless. The poem is a testament to the human condition and its inherent struggles, and is a reminder of the limitations of human knowledge and the importance of finding meaning and purpose in life.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Delmore Schwartz's "Poetry Faust in Old Age" is a masterpiece of modern poetry that explores the themes of aging, regret, and the search for meaning in life. The poem is a retelling of the classic Faust story, but with a twist: instead of making a deal with the devil for youth and power, the protagonist seeks to regain his lost poetic inspiration.
The poem is divided into three parts, each of which explores a different aspect of the protagonist's journey. In the first part, we are introduced to the protagonist, an old man who has lost his creative spark and is haunted by memories of his past. He is consumed by regret for the choices he made in his youth, and longs to recapture the passion and inspiration he once felt.
The second part of the poem sees the protagonist embark on a quest to find the source of his lost inspiration. He travels to various places, seeking out the great poets of the past and hoping to learn from them. However, he finds that they are all dead, and their works are mere shadows of the greatness they once possessed. He realizes that he cannot simply imitate the poets of the past, but must find his own voice and create something new.
In the final part of the poem, the protagonist returns home, still searching for inspiration. He reflects on his life and the choices he has made, and realizes that he has been chasing after something that he can never truly possess. He comes to the realization that true inspiration comes from within, and that he must find a way to tap into his own inner creativity.
One of the most striking aspects of "Poetry Faust in Old Age" is the way in which Schwartz uses language to convey the protagonist's inner turmoil. The poem is filled with vivid imagery and powerful metaphors that capture the protagonist's sense of loss and longing. For example, in the first part of the poem, Schwartz writes:
"His heart was like a broken cup That could not hold love's wine, And all his thoughts were bitter drops That fell like tears of brine."
This image of the broken cup is a powerful metaphor for the protagonist's sense of emptiness and despair. He feels as though he has lost the ability to love and create, and all that is left are bitter memories and regrets.
Another striking aspect of the poem is the way in which Schwartz draws on the Faust legend to explore the themes of aging and regret. In the original story, Faust makes a deal with the devil in order to regain his youth and power. However, in Schwartz's version, the protagonist seeks something far more elusive: the ability to create something truly great. He realizes that he cannot simply turn back the clock and regain his lost youth, but must find a way to tap into his own inner creativity.
Overall, "Poetry Faust in Old Age" is a powerful and moving exploration of the human condition. It speaks to the universal experience of aging and the search for meaning in life, and offers a poignant reminder that true inspiration comes from within. Schwartz's use of language is masterful, and his exploration of the Faust legend is both innovative and thought-provoking. This is a poem that will stay with you long after you have finished reading it, and is a testament to the enduring power of poetry to capture the complexities of the human experience.
Editor Recommended Sites
Compare Costs - Compare cloud costs & Compare vendor cloud services costs: Compare the costs of cloud services, cloud third party license software and business support servicesLearn Terraform: Learn Terraform for AWS and GCP
Gitops: Git operations management
Hybrid Cloud Video: Videos for deploying, monitoring, managing, IAC, across all multicloud deployments
Data Lineage: Cloud governance lineage and metadata catalog tooling for business and enterprise
Recommended Similar Analysis
A Valentine by Edgar Allan Poe analysisIncident Of The French Camp by Robert Browning analysis
As I Walked Out One Evening by W.H. Auden analysis
The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe analysis
An Elegy On The Death Of A Mad Dog by Oliver Goldsmith analysis
Two by Carl Sandburg analysis
Love And A Question by Robert Frost analysis
On My First Son by Ben Jonson analysis
The Rose Family by Robert Frost analysis
Negative Love by John Donne analysis