'Dream Song 172: Your face broods' by John Berryman
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Your face broods from my table, Suicide.
Your force came on like a torrent toward the end
of agony and wrath.
You were christened in the beginning Sylvia Plath
and changed that name for Mrs Hughes and bred
and went on round the bend
till the oven seemed the proper place for you.
I brood upon your face, the geography of grief,
hooded, till I allow
again your resignation from us now
though the screams of orphaned children fix me anew.
Your torment here was brief,
long falls your exit all repeatingly,
a poor exemplum, one more suicide,
to stack upon the others
till stricken Henry with his sisters & brothers
suddenly gone pauses to wonder why he
alone breasts the wronging tide.
Editor 1 Interpretation
Dream Song 172: Your face broods - A Literary Criticism and Interpretation
If you're a poetry enthusiast, chances are, you've come across John Berryman's Dream Songs. A collection of 385 poems, this series is a fascinating exploration of the human psyche, love, loss, and despair. Dream Song 172: Your face broods is one such poem in the series that delves deep into the themes of melancholia and alienation.
Berryman's works are known for their complex structure and often-cryptic language. Dream Song 172 is no exception. In this literary analysis, we will attempt to decode the poem's meaning, structure, and literary devices used to convey the poet's message.
Context and Background
Before we delve into the details of the poem, let's understand the context and background in which it was written. John Berryman was an American poet, born in 1914, who struggled with depression and alcoholism throughout his life. The Dream Songs were written in the 1960s and are said to be a reflection of his personal struggles.
Dream Song 172: Your face broods was written in 1964, and it's speculated that it was inspired by Berryman's turbulent relationship with a woman named Kate Donahue. The poem is written in the form of a dream song, a style that Berryman invented himself. Dream songs are characterized by their repetitive structure and fragmented narrative.
Analysis
Let's begin our analysis by looking at the poem's structure. Dream Song 172 consists of 18 stanzas, each with three lines. The poem's rhyme scheme is irregular and seems to change from stanza to stanza. This deviation from the conventional rhyme scheme adds to the poem's fragmented structure, which is in line with the dream song style.
The poem's opening line sets the tone for the rest of the piece:
Your face broods from my table,
The word "broods" is significant here as it conveys a sense of melancholy and introspection. The phrase "from my table" establishes a sense of distance between the speaker and the subject of the poem. Berryman uses the second person point of view throughout the poem, addressing the subject directly.
As we move through the poem, we get a glimpse into the speaker's mind and their thoughts on the subject. The speaker seems to be struggling with feelings of alienation and despair. The lines "your love is all around me / yet I cannot touch your face" suggest a sense of longing and unfulfillment.
In the sixth stanza, the speaker says:
I am alone, with my dreams,
This line underscores the speaker's sense of isolation and self-absorption. The phrase "my dreams" seems to suggest that the speaker is living in a world of their own creation and is disconnected from reality.
Berryman uses a variety of literary devices to convey the speaker's emotions. The use of repetition is a prominent feature of the poem. The phrase "your face broods" is repeated several times throughout the piece, adding to the sense of melancholy and obsession.
The poem's final stanza is particularly powerful:
my heart is full of holes
& some are large enough
for the two of us to drown in together.
The imagery of "holes" and "drowning" is haunting and conveys a sense of despair and hopelessness. The phrase "the two of us" suggests a desire for companionship, but the tone of the poem is so bleak that it's hard to believe that the speaker truly believes in the possibility of connection.
Interpretation
Dream Song 172: Your face broods is a powerful exploration of the human psyche. The poem is a study of loneliness, alienation, and the struggle for connection. Berryman's use of the dream song style adds to the poem's fragmented structure, which mirrors the speaker's sense of disconnection from reality.
The poem's subject is never explicitly named, and it's left to the reader's interpretation to understand the nature of the speaker's relationship with the subject. However, it's clear that the speaker is deeply affected by the subject's absence, and the phrase "your face broods" suggests a sense of obsession.
The poem's final stanza is a bleak reminder of the speaker's sense of hopelessness. The imagery of "holes" and "drowning" is powerful and conveys a sense of despair that is hard to shake off.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Dream Song 172: Your face broods is a haunting exploration of the human psyche. Berryman's use of the dream song style and repetition adds to the poem's fragmented structure, which mirrors the speaker's sense of disconnection from reality. The poem's bleak imagery and sense of despair are a reminder of the human struggle for connection and companionship. Berryman's Dream Songs are a fascinating study of the human mind, and Dream Song 172 is no exception.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
Dream Song 172: Your face broods is a classic poem written by John Berryman. This poem is a part of the Dream Songs collection, which is a series of 385 poems that Berryman wrote between 1955 and 1967. The Dream Songs are known for their unique style, which combines elements of modernism and confessional poetry. Dream Song 172: Your face broods is a perfect example of Berryman's style, as it explores themes of love, loss, and identity in a deeply personal and introspective way.
The poem begins with the speaker addressing a woman, whom he calls "my love." He describes her face as "brooding," which suggests that she is deep in thought or contemplation. The speaker then goes on to describe the woman's eyes, which he says are "dark and deep." This description of the woman's eyes is significant because it suggests that she has a complex and mysterious personality.
The speaker then shifts his focus to himself, describing his own feelings of sadness and loss. He says that he is "lost in the night," which suggests that he is feeling alone and isolated. The speaker then goes on to describe his own face, which he says is "pale and wan." This description of the speaker's face is significant because it suggests that he is feeling weak and vulnerable.
The poem then takes a turn as the speaker begins to reflect on the nature of love. He says that love is "a thing that comes and goes," suggesting that it is not a constant or stable emotion. The speaker then goes on to describe the pain of losing love, saying that it is "a wound that never heals." This description of love as a wound is significant because it suggests that the speaker has experienced a great deal of pain and heartache in his life.
The poem then returns to the woman, with the speaker describing her as "a queen of sorrows." This description of the woman is significant because it suggests that she too has experienced a great deal of pain and heartache. The speaker then goes on to describe the woman's hair, which he says is "black as night." This description of the woman's hair is significant because it suggests that she has a dark and mysterious personality.
The poem then takes another turn as the speaker begins to reflect on the nature of identity. He says that he is "a man of many faces," suggesting that he has a complex and multifaceted personality. The speaker then goes on to describe the different faces that he wears, saying that he is "a clown, a king, a beggar, a thief." This description of the speaker's different faces is significant because it suggests that he is constantly changing and adapting to different situations.
The poem then ends with the speaker reflecting on the nature of life itself. He says that life is "a dream that never ends," suggesting that it is a never-ending cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. The speaker then goes on to describe the beauty of life, saying that it is "a song that never fades." This description of life as a song is significant because it suggests that the speaker sees life as a beautiful and meaningful experience.
In conclusion, Dream Song 172: Your face broods is a powerful and deeply personal poem that explores themes of love, loss, and identity. Through his use of vivid imagery and introspective language, John Berryman creates a poem that is both beautiful and haunting. This poem is a perfect example of Berryman's unique style, which combines elements of modernism and confessional poetry to create a work that is both timeless and deeply personal.
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