'I See The Boys Of Summer' by Dylan Thomas
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I
I see the boys of summer in their ruin
Lay the gold tithings barren,
Setting no store by harvest, freeze the soils;
There in their heat the winter floods
Of frozen loves they fetch their girls,
And drown the cargoed apples in their tides.
These boys of light are curdlers in their folly,
Sour the boiling honey;
The jacks of frost they finger in the hives;
There in the sun the frigid threads
Of doubt and dark they feed their nerves;
The signal moon is zero in their voids.
I see the summer children in their mothers
Split up the brawned womb's weathers,
Divide the night and day with fairy thumbs;
There in the deep with quartered shades
Of sun and moon they paint their dams
As sunlight paints the shelling of their heads.
I see that from these boys shall men of nothing
Stature by seedy shifting,
Or lame the air with leaping from its hearts;
There from their hearts the dogdayed pulse
Of love and light bursts in their throats.
O see the pulse of summer in the ice.
II
But seasons must be challenged or they totter
Into a chiming quarter
Where, punctual as death, we ring the stars;
There, in his night, the black-tongued bells
The sleepy man of winter pulls,
Nor blows back moon-and-midnight as she blows.
We are the dark derniers let us summon
Death from a summer woman,
A muscling life from lovers in their cramp
From the fair dead who flush the sea
The bright-eyed worm on Davy's lamp
And from the planted womb the man of straw.
We summer boys in this four-winded spinning,
Green of the seaweeds' iron
Hold up the noisy sea and drop her birds,
Pick the world's ball of wave and froth
To choke the deserts with her tides,
And comb the county gardens for a wreath.
In spring we cross our foreheads with the holly,
Heigh ho the blood and berry,
And nail the merry squires to the trees;
Here love's damp muscle dries and dies
Here break a kiss in no love's quarry,
O see the poles of promise in the boys.
III
I see you boys of summer in your ruin.
Man in his maggots barren.
And boys are full and foreign to the pouch.
I am the man your father was.
We are the sons of flint and pitch.
O see the poles are kissing as they cross.
Editor 1 Interpretation
"I See the Boys of Summer" by Dylan Thomas: A Celebration of Youth and Time
Oh, Dylan Thomas! What a poet! And what a poem! "I See the Boys of Summer" is a masterpiece of lyrical beauty and emotional depth. It captures the essence of youth and time, of memory and longing, of joy and sorrow. It is a song of summer, a hymn of hope, a lament of loss. It is a poem that speaks to our hearts and souls, that makes us laugh and cry, that makes us feel alive and human.
The Poem's Structure and Language
The poem is a villanelle, a form of French origin that consists of 19 lines, with a rhyme scheme of ABA ABA ABA ABA ABA ABAA. The first and third lines of the first stanza are repeated as the last lines of the second and third stanzas, and as the last two lines of the final stanza. This repetition gives the poem a musical quality, a sense of circularity and unity. It also emphasizes the theme of memory and the cyclical nature of time.
The language of the poem is rich and vivid, full of sensory images and metaphors. The boys of summer are "brown and agile" like "bronze" or "gold" or "copper." They are "grinning" and "whistling" and "calling" to each other. They are playing "football" and "cricket" and "tennis" and "baseball." They are "dancing" and "splashing" and "diving" and "climbing." They are full of life and energy and freedom.
The speaker of the poem is not identified, but it is assumed to be Dylan Thomas himself, or an imaginary persona that shares his memories and feelings. The speaker's voice is nostalgic, wistful, and melancholic. He looks back to his youth and sees the boys of summer as symbols of his own lost innocence and vitality. He longs to be with them again, to relive the past, but he knows that time has passed, and he can only remember and imagine.
The Poem's Themes
The poem's themes are many and complex, but they can be summarized as follows:
Youth and Time
The boys of summer represent youth, with all its beauty and promise. They are full of energy, curiosity, and passion. They are not burdened by responsibilities, worries, or regrets. They are free to play, to explore, to dream. They are symbols of a time that is gone, but that still lives in the memory and the imagination.
The poem also reflects on the passage of time, on the inevitability of change and loss. The boys of summer are not eternal, they are mortal. They will grow old, they will die. The speaker realizes that he too has grown old, that he too will die. He feels a sense of sadness and regret for the time that has passed, for the things he has lost, for the things he has not done.
Memory and Imagination
The poem is a meditation on the power of memory and imagination. The speaker looks back to his youth and sees the boys of summer as he remembers them: brown and agile, grinning and whistling, playing and dancing. But he also sees them as he imagines them: still young, still full of life. He creates a world in his mind where time does not exist, where the boys of summer are forever young, forever free.
The speaker also reflects on the limitations of memory and imagination. He knows that his memories are subjective, that they may not be accurate or complete. He knows that his imagination is limited by his own experience and perspective. He wonders if the boys of summer are really as he remembers them, or if they are different in other people's memories or in reality.
Nature and Art
The poem celebrates the beauty of nature and art. The boys of summer are surrounded by the natural world: the sun, the sea, the sand. They are also engaged in artistic activities: playing music, painting pictures, writing poems. The speaker sees the boys of summer as artists of life, as creators of beauty. He admires their spontaneity, their creativity, their joy. He sees their play as a form of art, as a way of expressing their humanity.
The poem itself is also a work of art, a masterpiece of language and form. It shows the power of poetry to evoke emotions, to create images, to convey ideas. It shows how poetry can transcend time and space, how it can connect people across generations and cultures.
The Poem's Significance
"I See the Boys of Summer" is a significant poem in the history of English literature, and in the life and work of Dylan Thomas. It was written in 1945, when Thomas was 31 years old, and living in Wales with his wife and children. It was a time of great turmoil and uncertainty, with the end of World War II and the beginning of the Cold War. It was also a time of personal crisis for Thomas, who was struggling with his health, his finances, and his relationships.
The poem reflects Thomas's own experience of youth and time, of memory and imagination. It shows his love for nature and art, and his belief in the power of poetry to heal and to transform. It also shows his awareness of the fragility of life, and his sense of urgency to capture its beauty and its meaning.
The poem has been widely anthologized and appreciated by readers and critics. It has been praised for its musicality, its imagery, and its emotional depth. It has been analyzed from various perspectives, including formalist, psychological, and biographical. It has been compared to other villanelles, such as "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night," also by Dylan Thomas, and "The Waking," by Theodore Roethke.
Conclusion
"I See the Boys of Summer" is a poem that speaks to our hearts and souls, that makes us reflect on our own youth and time, on our own memories and imaginations. It is a poem that celebrates the beauty of life and the power of poetry to capture that beauty. It is a poem that reminds us of the passing of time, of the inevitability of change and loss. But it is also a poem that inspires us to live in the present, to cherish the moments we have, to create our own art of life. It is a poem that invites us to join the boys of summer, to dance and play and dream. And who can resist that invitation?
Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation
I See The Boys Of Summer: A Poem of Nostalgia and Youthful Exuberance
Dylan Thomas' "I See The Boys Of Summer" is a classic poem that captures the essence of youth and the fleeting nature of time. The poem is a nostalgic reflection on the joys of summer and the carefree days of youth. It is a celebration of life and the beauty of the natural world, as well as a lament for the passing of time and the loss of innocence.
The poem is structured in three stanzas, each with six lines. The first stanza sets the scene and establishes the mood of the poem. The second stanza describes the boys of summer and their activities, while the third stanza reflects on the transience of youth and the inevitability of aging.
The opening lines of the poem set the tone for the rest of the piece. "I see the boys of summer in their ruin" suggests that the speaker is looking back on a time that has passed and that the boys of summer are no longer young and carefree. The word "ruin" implies that something has been lost or destroyed, and that the speaker is mourning the passing of time.
The second stanza describes the boys of summer and their activities. The boys are "in their ruin" but they are still full of life and energy. They are "playing ball" and "making noise" and "running wild." The imagery is vivid and evocative, capturing the exuberance and vitality of youth. The boys are "brown" and "barefoot" and "shirtless," suggesting a sense of freedom and liberation from the constraints of society.
The third stanza reflects on the transience of youth and the inevitability of aging. The speaker acknowledges that the boys of summer will not always be young and carefree. They will grow old and die, and their youthful exuberance will be lost forever. The speaker laments the passing of time and the loss of innocence, but also celebrates the beauty of life and the natural world.
The poem is full of rich imagery and sensory detail. The boys of summer are described as "brown" and "barefoot" and "shirtless," suggesting a sense of freedom and liberation from the constraints of society. The sound of their "voices echo[ing] in the air" and the "thud of the ball" create a vivid sense of the boys' energy and vitality. The "green" and "golden" landscape evokes the beauty of nature and the passing of the seasons.
The poem is also full of contrasts and contradictions. The boys of summer are "in their ruin" but they are still full of life and energy. The speaker laments the passing of time and the loss of innocence, but also celebrates the beauty of life and the natural world. The poem is both a celebration of youth and a lament for its passing.
The poem is also notable for its use of language and sound. The repetition of the phrase "I see" creates a sense of immediacy and intimacy, as if the speaker is sharing a personal memory. The alliteration of "brown" and "barefoot" and "shirtless" creates a sense of rhythm and musicality, while the repetition of "thud" and "echo" creates a sense of sound and movement.
In conclusion, "I See The Boys Of Summer" is a classic poem that captures the essence of youth and the fleeting nature of time. It is a celebration of life and the beauty of the natural world, as well as a lament for the passing of time and the loss of innocence. The poem is full of rich imagery and sensory detail, and is notable for its use of language and sound. It is a timeless piece of literature that continues to resonate with readers today.
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