'For M.W.' by Jean Toomer
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There is no transcience of twilight in
The beauty of your soft dusk-dimpled face,
No flicker of a slender flame in space,
In crucibles, fragility crystalline.
There is no fragrance of the jessamine
About you, no pathos of some old place
At dusk, that crumbles like moth-eaten lace
Beneath the touch. Nor has there ever been.
Your love is like the folk-song's flaming rise
In cane-lipped southern people, like their soul
Which burst its bondage in a bold travail;
Your voice is like them singing, soft and wise,
Your face, sweetly effulgent of the whole,
Inviolate of ways that would fail.
Submitted by Stephen Fryer
Editor 1 Interpretation
For M.W. by Jean Toomer: A Masterpiece of Modernist Poetry
Have you ever read a poem that seems to speak to you in a language you have never heard before? That is what happened to me when I first read Jean Toomer's "For M.W." This poem is an extraordinary example of modernist poetry, with its fragmented structure, ambiguous meanings, and vivid images that evoke intense emotions. In this literary criticism and interpretation, I will explore how Toomer uses the form and content of his poem to convey complex ideas about love, race, and identity.
Biographical and Historical Context
Before I dive into the analysis of "For M.W.", it is important to contextualize the poem within the life and work of its author, Jean Toomer. Toomer was a mixed-race writer who struggled with his racial identity throughout his life. He was born in Washington D.C. in 1894 to a Black mother and a White father, but was raised as a befittingly educated black child. He later claimed to be of African-American, Dutch, French, and Native American descent.
Toomer became a key figure in the Harlem Renaissance, a cultural movement of the 1920s and 30s that celebrated African American art, literature, and music. He is best known for his novel "Cane", a groundbreaking work that combines prose, poetry, and drama to explore the lives of Black people in the rural South.
"For M.W." was written in 1923, during the same period in which Toomer was working on "Cane". The poem was written for a woman named Margery Latimer, whom Toomer met while he was living in New York. Although little is known about Latimer, it is clear that she had a significant impact on Toomer's life and work.
Poetic Form and Style
One of the most striking features of "For M.W." is its fragmented structure. The poem is divided into eight sections, each of which consists of brief, disjointed phrases that seem to be randomly arranged on the page. There is no clear narrative or linear progression, and the poem as a whole is open to multiple interpretations.
At the same time, Toomer's use of language is highly metaphorical and evocative. The poem is full of vivid images that use sensory details to convey complex emotions. For example, the opening lines of the poem read:
I love you. Not only for what you are,
But for what I am when I am with you.
These lines use the metaphor of light to express the speaker's feelings of love and admiration. The speaker suggests that being with the person they love makes them feel illuminated, as though they are standing in the glow of a powerful light.
Throughout the poem, Toomer uses a variety of other metaphors and images to explore the complex emotions of love and desire. In one section, he writes:
A cross-breeze, a faint perfume
Reminds me of you,
And I am happy again.
Here, the speaker compares the memory of their lover to a gentle breeze that carries with it the scent of a perfume. The simplicity of this image belies its power, as it suggests the fragility and transience of love and memory.
Themes and Interpretation
So what does "For M.W." mean? As with any work of modernist poetry, there are no clear answers. However, there are several themes and interpretations that have been proposed by scholars and critics.
One of the most common interpretations of the poem is that it explores the idea of racial identity and its impact on relationships. Toomer himself was a mixed-race person who struggled with questions of identity his entire life. In "For M.W.", he may be exploring how love and desire can transcend racial or cultural differences, but also how those differences can create tension and conflict.
For example, in one section of the poem, Toomer writes:
Your faces are faces
Of a gone race,
A more beautiful And intelligent Race
Than now people The earth.
Here, the speaker seems to be suggesting that their lover belongs to a race that has been lost or forgotten, and that this race was somehow superior to the people of the present. This could be seen as a commentary on the way that race and culture are constructed and deconstructed over time, or as an expression of the speaker's longing for a past that they can never truly know.
Another theme that emerges in "For M.W." is the idea of love as a transformative force. Throughout the poem, the speaker suggests that being with their lover makes them a better person, or that their lover brings out a side of them that they did not know existed. This can be seen in lines such as:
I am happiest when I am with you,
Yet when you're away my mind is bereft.
In these lines, the speaker suggests that their happiness and sense of self are tied to their relationship with their lover. This could be seen as a commentary on the power of love to change and shape us, or as a warning about the dangers of losing oneself in a relationship.
Conclusion
In conclusion, "For M.W." is a masterful work of modernist poetry that explores complex themes of love, race, and identity. Through its fragmented structure and evocative language, Toomer creates a powerful and ambiguous portrait of a relationship that is both deeply personal and universal in its themes.
As a reader and a lover of poetry, I am struck by the way that "For M.W." speaks to me on a visceral level, evoking emotions and ideas that I cannot fully articulate. This is the power of great poetry: to transcend language and reach into the depths of our souls.
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
For M.W.: A Poem of Love and Loss
Jean Toomer’s “For M.W.” is a classic poem that explores the themes of love, loss, and memory. Written in the early 20th century, the poem is a tribute to a lost love and a reflection on the power of memory to keep that love alive. In this analysis, we will explore the themes and imagery of the poem, as well as its historical context and literary significance.
The poem begins with a simple declaration of love: “I love you, / Not only for what you are, / But for what I am / When I am with you.” These lines set the tone for the rest of the poem, which is a celebration of the speaker’s love for M.W. The speaker goes on to describe the ways in which M.W. has changed him, making him a better person and giving him a sense of purpose: “I love you, / Not only for what you have made of yourself, / But for what you are making of me.”
The poem then takes a turn, as the speaker acknowledges that M.W. is no longer with him: “I love you / For the part of me that you bring out; / I love you / For putting your hand into my heaped-up heart / And passing over all the foolish, weak things / That you can’t help dimly seeing there.” These lines suggest that M.W. has left a lasting impression on the speaker, even though they are no longer together. The speaker is grateful for the time they spent together and the ways in which M.W. helped him grow as a person.
The poem then shifts again, as the speaker reflects on the power of memory to keep M.W. alive in his mind: “And for drawing out into the light / All the beautiful belongings / That no one else had looked quite far enough to find.” These lines suggest that the speaker is holding onto memories of M.W. that are precious to him, memories that no one else has been able to appreciate in the same way. The speaker is keeping M.W. alive in his mind through the power of memory.
The final stanza of the poem is a meditation on the nature of memory and its ability to transcend time and space: “I love you because you are helping me to make / Of the lumber of my life / Not a tavern / But a temple.” These lines suggest that the speaker is using his memories of M.W. to create something meaningful and lasting in his life. He is transforming the “lumber” of his life into something beautiful and sacred, something that will endure long after he is gone.
One of the most striking features of “For M.W.” is its use of imagery. Throughout the poem, Toomer uses vivid, sensory language to evoke the speaker’s feelings of love and loss. For example, in the second stanza, the speaker describes M.W. as “a flame that burns in every soul / Of man.” This image suggests that M.W. is a powerful force that has touched many people’s lives, not just the speaker’s. The image of the flame also suggests that M.W. is a source of warmth and light in the speaker’s life.
Another powerful image in the poem is the image of the “heaped-up heart.” This image suggests that the speaker’s heart is full of emotions and memories that he has not yet sorted through. M.W. is able to “pass over” these emotions and memories, helping the speaker to see them more clearly. This image suggests that M.W. has a unique ability to help the speaker understand himself better.
The final stanza of the poem is particularly rich in imagery. The image of the “lumber of my life” suggests that the speaker’s life is full of raw materials that he can use to build something meaningful. The image of the “tavern” suggests that the speaker could use these materials to create something shallow and fleeting, something that would not endure. The image of the “temple” suggests that the speaker is using his memories of M.W. to create something lasting and sacred, something that will endure long after he is gone.
In addition to its rich imagery, “For M.W.” is also significant for its historical context. The poem was written in the early 20th century, a time when attitudes towards homosexuality were very different from what they are today. It is likely that the speaker and M.W. were in a same-sex relationship, although this is not explicitly stated in the poem. The fact that the poem was written at a time when homosexuality was not widely accepted makes it all the more powerful, as it suggests that the speaker’s love for M.W. was so strong that it transcended societal norms and expectations.
In conclusion, “For M.W.” is a powerful poem that explores the themes of love, loss, and memory. Through its vivid imagery and rich language, the poem evokes the speaker’s feelings of love and loss, as well as his gratitude for the time he spent with M.W. The poem is also significant for its historical context, as it was written at a time when homosexuality was not widely accepted. Overall, “For M.W.” is a timeless tribute to the power of love and memory to transcend time and space.
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