'Where Once The Waters Of Your Face' by Dylan Thomas


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


Where once the waters of your face
Spun to my screws, your dry ghost blows,
The dead turns up its eye;
Where once the mermen through your ice
Pushed up their hair, the dry wind steers
Through salt and root and roe.

Where once your green knots sank their splice
Into the tided cord, there goes
The green unraveller,
His scissors oiled, his knife hung loose
To cut the channels at their source
And lay the wet fruits low.

Invisible, your clocking tides
Break on the lovebeds of the weeds;
The weed of love's left dry;
There round about your stones the shades
Of children go who, from their voids,
Cry to the dolphined sea.

Dry as a tomb, your coloured lids
Shall not be latched while magic glides
Sage on the earth and sky;
There shall be corals in your beds
There shall be serpents in your tides,
Till all our sea-faiths die.

Editor 1 Interpretation

The Emotional Journey of "Where Once The Waters Of Your Face" by Dylan Thomas

When words fail us, we turn to poetry. And when we turn to Dylan Thomas, we know we will find a rich tapestry of emotions woven together in a way that only he can. "Where Once The Waters Of Your Face" is no exception to this rule. In this poem, Thomas manages to capture the heartache of love and loss, the nostalgia of memories, and the power of nature - all in just twelve lines. So, let's dive into the world of this poem and explore the depths of its beauty and significance.

###Poem Overview

At first glance, "Where Once The Waters Of Your Face" seems to be a simple poem. It consists of four stanzas, each with three lines. The poem is written in the first person, and the speaker is addressing a lost love. The poet talks about how he remembers the face of his beloved and how it used to be wet with tears. He then goes on to describe how nature reminds him of her and how it feels like she is still present in his life.

###The Theme of Love and Loss

The theme of love and loss is at the heart of this poem. The speaker is addressing a lost love, and he is trying to come to terms with the fact that she is no longer with him. He remembers how her face used to be wet with tears, and he longs for her to return. The use of water imagery in this poem is particularly poignant. The waters on her face represent her tears, and they serve as a reminder of the emotional depth of their relationship. The speaker is also reminded of his lost love through nature. The sea and the sky remind him of her, and he feels as though she is still present in his life.

###The Power of Memories

One of the most compelling aspects of this poem is its exploration of the power of memories. The speaker is clearly haunted by his memories of his lost love. He remembers how her face used to be wet with tears, and he longs for her to return. Memories of her are triggered by the sea and the sky, and they serve as a constant reminder of what he has lost. At the same time, memories of his lost love are also a source of comfort for the speaker. He feels as though she is still present in his life, and this gives him some solace.

###The Significance of Nature

Nature plays a significant role in "Where Once The Waters Of Your Face." The sea and the sky are used as symbols to represent the beauty and power of nature. They are also used to remind the speaker of his lost love. The sea and the sky are vast and endless, and they serve as a reminder of the eternity of love. Just as the sea and the sky are always present, the speaker feels as though his lost love is still with him in some way.

###The Use of Imagery

The use of water imagery in this poem is particularly effective. The waters on her face represent her tears, and they serve as a reminder of the emotional depth of their relationship. The sea and the sky are also used as symbols to represent the beauty and power of nature. The sea is vast and endless, and it serves as a reminder of the eternity of love. The sky is also vast and endless, and it serves as a reminder of the infinite possibilities of love.

###The Power of Language

One of the most striking aspects of "Where Once The Waters Of Your Face" is the power of language. Thomas's use of language is masterful, and he manages to convey a profound sense of emotion in just twelve lines. The use of water imagery, the repetition of certain phrases, and the use of symbolism all contribute to the emotional impact of the poem.

###Conclusion

In conclusion, "Where Once The Waters Of Your Face" is a powerful and moving poem. It explores themes of love and loss, the power of memories, and the significance of nature. Thomas's use of language is masterful, and he manages to convey a profound sense of emotion in just twelve lines. This poem is a testament to the power of poetry to convey complex emotions in a simple and beautiful way.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Where Once The Waters Of Your Face: A Poem of Love and Loss

Dylan Thomas, one of the most celebrated poets of the 20th century, is known for his vivid and evocative language, his love of nature, and his exploration of the human experience. In his poem "Where Once The Waters Of Your Face," Thomas captures the essence of love and loss in a way that is both haunting and beautiful.

The poem begins with the speaker addressing his beloved, saying "Where once the waters of your face / Spun to my screws, your dry ghost blows." The use of the word "screws" is interesting here, as it suggests a sense of control or manipulation. The speaker seems to be saying that his beloved once had power over him, but now that power is gone. The image of the "dry ghost" blowing suggests that the speaker's beloved is no longer alive, and that he is haunted by her memory.

The second stanza continues this theme of loss, with the speaker saying "The dead turns up its eye / Emptying four-ribbed caves of brain." The use of the word "dead" here is ambiguous - it could refer to the speaker's beloved, or to the speaker himself. Either way, the image of the eye turning up and the brain emptying out suggests a sense of emptiness and loss.

The third stanza is perhaps the most beautiful and evocative in the poem. The speaker says "Your gone mouth snapping / O my love, / Hungers my heart / Through a brief, bright crack." The use of the word "snapping" suggests a sense of urgency and desire, while the phrase "brief, bright crack" is both beautiful and poignant. It suggests that the speaker's beloved is gone, but that there is still a glimmer of hope or light that shines through.

The fourth stanza continues this theme of hope, with the speaker saying "Messengers / With tidings / Of unspecified wings / Arrive to me." The use of the word "messengers" suggests that there are still signs or symbols of his beloved's presence in the world, even though she is gone. The phrase "unspecified wings" is interesting, as it suggests that these messengers are not necessarily angels or other supernatural beings, but rather something more mysterious and undefined.

The final stanza brings the poem full circle, with the speaker saying "Your face all radiant / With the gladness of a true / Reunion, / I'll know you're home." The use of the word "reunion" suggests that the speaker and his beloved will be reunited in the afterlife, and that this thought brings him comfort. The image of her face being "radiant" with gladness is both beautiful and heartbreaking, as it suggests that she is happy to be reunited with him, but also that she is no longer with him in the physical world.

Overall, "Where Once The Waters Of Your Face" is a powerful and moving poem that captures the essence of love and loss in a way that is both haunting and beautiful. Thomas's use of vivid and evocative language, combined with his exploration of the human experience, makes this poem a true masterpiece of modern poetry.

Editor Recommended Sites

Learn to Code Videos: Video tutorials and courses on learning to code
LLM OSS: Open source large language model tooling
Knowledge Management Community: Learn how to manage your personal and business knowledge using tools like obsidian, freeplane, roam, org-mode
Learn Rust: Learn the rust programming language, course by an Ex-Google engineer
Rust Language: Rust programming language Apps, Web Assembly Apps

Recommended Similar Analysis

I 'll tell you how the sun rose, -- by Emily Dickinson analysis
My Papa's Waltz by Theodore Roethke analysis
The Ladies by Rudyard Kipling analysis
The Blues by Langston Hughes analysis
Need of Being Versed in Country Things, The by Robert Lee Frost analysis
The Georgics by Virgil analysis
The Land Of Dreams by William Blake analysis
Mariana In The South by Alfred, Lord Tennyson analysis
Daybreak In Alabama by Langston Hughes analysis
Sonnet 55: Not marble, nor the gilded monuments by William Shakespeare analysis