'Ballade Of A Great Weariness' by Dorothy Parker

AI and Tech Aggregator
Download Mp3s Free
Tears of the Kingdom Roleplay
Best Free University Courses Online
TOTK Roleplay

Enough Rope1925There's little to have but the things I had,
There's little to bear but the things I bore.
There's nothing to carry and naught to add,
And glory to Heaven, I paid the score.There's little to do but I did before,
There's little to learn but the things I know;
And this is the sum of a lasting lore:
Scratch a lover, and find a foe.And couldn't it be I was young and mad
If ever my heart on my sleeve I wore?
There's many to claw at a heart unclad,
And little the wonder it ripped and tore.
There's one that'll join in their push and roar,
With stories to jabber, and stones to throw;
He'll fetch you a lesson that costs you sore:
Scratch a lover, and find a foe.So little I'll offer to you, my lad;
It's little in loving I set my store.
There's many a maid would be flushed and glad,
And better you'll knock at a kindlier door.
I'll dig at my lettuce, and sweep my floor,
Forever, forever I'm done with woe.
And happen I'll whistle about my chore,
"Scratch a lover, and find a foe."L'ENVOIOh, beggar or prince, no more, no more!Be off and away with your strut and show.
The sweeter the apple, the blacker the core:Scratch a lover, and find a foe!

Editor 1 Interpretation

Ballade of a Great Weariness by Dorothy Parker: A Deep Dive into the Human Condition

As a reader, it's not every day that you come across a poem that strikes a chord deep within you, a poem that captures the essence of the human experience with such precision and nuance that you can't help but feel moved. Dorothy Parker's "Ballade of a Great Weariness" is one such poem. Published in 1926 as part of her collection of poetry, "Enough Rope," this ballade is a haunting meditation on the weight of existence, the futility of life, and the ever-present specter of death.

A Ballade of Form and Function

Before we delve into the themes and imagery of the poem, let's take a moment to appreciate its technical mastery. "Ballade of a Great Weariness" is written in the form of a ballade, a type of French poetry consisting of three stanzas of eight lines each, followed by a shorter concluding stanza called an envoi. The final line of each stanza is a refrain, repeated throughout the poem. Parker's use of this form is not just a nod to tradition but also a clever way to reinforce the sense of weariness that permeates the poem. The repetition of the refrain serves as a reminder of the cyclical nature of existence, the endless repetition of the same patterns and themes in life.

The Weight of Existence

Now, let's get to the heart of the matter. "Ballade of a Great Weariness" opens with the speaker expressing a profound sense of exhaustion and a desire for rest:

I'm black with care, I'm gaunt and grim,

Because I fare by swamp and fen;

My soul is withered, wan and slim,

And all my misery marred me then

Alack the way I come again,

And bring such burden to my brain;

I am so weary of my pain,

Lord Jesus, come you down and reign.

The language here is stark and evocative, painting a picture of a person worn down by life's hardships. The swamp and fen are metaphors for the difficulties and obstacles that the speaker has faced. The repeated use of "I'm" and "my" emphasizes the sense of personal burden and isolation that the speaker feels. The invocation of Jesus in the final line of the stanza is a plea for salvation, not just from the speaker's immediate suffering but from the existential burden of living.

The Futility of Life

The second stanza of the ballade continues in a similar vein, with the speaker lamenting the pointlessness of existence:

I'm wearied of my lonely road,

And all the dust that lies behind,

Of crawling on my hands and knees,

And looking with my blinded mind

At every goal I'll never find;

Of stumbling on to things abhorred,

And wishing I were with the Lord,

Lord Jesus, come you down and be my sword.

Here, the imagery is that of a journey through life, with the speaker crawling on their hands and knees, blinded to the true purpose of their travels. The repetition of "I'm" and "my" underscores the sense of isolation and despair that the speaker feels. The reference to "things abhorred" suggests a sense of revulsion at the world and all its trappings. The invocation of Jesus as a sword is a plea for deliverance, a desire to be freed from the endless struggle of existence.

The Ever-Present Specter of Death

The final stanza of the ballade takes a darker turn, as the speaker contemplates the inevitability of death:

I'm wearied of my lonesome way,

And all the anguish in my heart,

Of carrying throughout the day

A hope that's always doomed to thwart;

Of seeing every new moon start,

And knowing where the old one goes;

I am so weary of my woes,

Lord Jesus, come you down and bring repose.

The language here is somber and mournful, as the speaker confronts the stark reality of mortality. The reference to the "new moon" and the "old one" suggests the cyclical nature of life and death, the endless repetition of the same patterns. The plea for repose is a desire for rest, a longing to be freed from the burden of life.

A Meditation on the Human Condition

"Ballade of a Great Weariness" is a powerful meditation on the human condition, on the weight of existence, the futility of life, and the ever-present specter of death. Parker's use of the ballade form reinforces the sense of weariness that permeates the poem, while her evocative language and imagery create a vivid portrait of a person worn down by life's hardships. The repeated invocation of Jesus as a savior and sword underscores the speaker's desire for deliverance from the burden of living. Ultimately, "Ballade of a Great Weariness" is a haunting reminder of the fragility of life and the inevitability of death, a poem that speaks to the deepest fears and desires of the human soul.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Dorothy Parker's "Ballade of a Great Weariness" is a classic poem that captures the essence of exhaustion and despair. The poem is a ballade, a form of French poetry that consists of three stanzas and a concluding envoi. Parker's ballade is a masterful example of the form, with each stanza building on the previous one to create a powerful sense of weariness and hopelessness.

The first stanza sets the tone for the poem, with Parker describing the speaker's deep sense of fatigue. The opening lines, "I am worn out with dreams; / A weather-worn, marble triton / Among the streams;" evoke a sense of weariness and exhaustion. The image of the triton, a mythological sea creature, adds to the sense of isolation and loneliness that pervades the poem. The speaker is tired of dreaming and yearns for a sense of peace and rest.

The second stanza builds on the first, with Parker describing the speaker's sense of despair. The lines, "And all day long I look / Upon this lady's beauty / As though I had found in a book / A pictured beauty," suggest that the speaker is trapped in a cycle of longing and unfulfilled desire. The image of the lady's beauty as a "pictured beauty" reinforces the idea that the speaker's desires are unattainable and unreal.

The third stanza brings the poem to a powerful conclusion, with Parker describing the speaker's sense of hopelessness. The lines, "Oh, have mercy on me, Lord, / I heard a soldier say: / He spoke for his men as he died / And I turn away," suggest that the speaker has lost all faith in humanity and in the possibility of redemption. The image of the dying soldier adds to the sense of despair and hopelessness that pervades the poem.

The concluding envoi, "Prince, do not ask me why, / But wait for the winds to die / And listen to the song of the bird / And then remember," suggests that there is still hope for the speaker, despite the overwhelming sense of weariness and despair. The image of the bird's song suggests that there is still beauty and joy in the world, and that the speaker may yet find a sense of peace and rest.

Overall, Parker's "Ballade of a Great Weariness" is a powerful and moving poem that captures the essence of exhaustion and despair. The poem's use of the ballade form is masterful, with each stanza building on the previous one to create a powerful sense of weariness and hopelessness. Despite the overwhelming sense of despair that pervades the poem, the concluding envoi suggests that there is still hope for the speaker, and that beauty and joy can still be found in the world.

Editor Recommended Sites

Data Catalog App - Cloud Data catalog & Best Datacatalog for cloud: Data catalog resources for multi cloud and language models
Video Game Speedrun: Youtube videos of the most popular games being speed run
Code Talks - Large language model talks and conferences & Generative AI videos: Latest conference talks from industry experts around Machine Learning, Generative language models, LLAMA, AI
Cloud Notebook - Jupyer Cloud Notebooks For LLMs & Cloud Note Books Tutorials: Learn cloud ntoebooks for Machine learning and Large language models
Learn NLP: Learn natural language processing for the cloud. GPT tutorials, nltk spacy gensim

Recommended Similar Analysis

Eating Poetry by Mark Strand analysis
Standing by my bed by Sappho analysis
if there are any heavens my mother... (XLIII) by e.e. cummings analysis
What Lips My Lips Have Kissed, And Where, And Why (Sonnet XLIII) by Edna St. Vincent Millay analysis
At The Fishhouses by Elizabeth Bishop analysis
Disappointment , The by Arphra Behn analysis
Child Of The Romans by Carl Sandburg analysis
The Man Who Dreamed Of Faeryland by William Butler Yeats analysis
Song by Sir John Suckling analysis
Smile , Smile, Smile by Wilfred Owen analysis