'Dining - Room Tea' by Rupert Brooke


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When you were there, and you, and you,
Happiness crowned the night; I too,
Laughing and looking, one of all,
I watched the quivering lamplight fall
On plate and flowers and pouring tea
And cup and cloth; and they and we
Flung all the dancing moments by
With jest and glitter.Lip and eye
Flashed on the glory, shone and cried,
Improvident, unmemoried;
And fitfully and like a flame
The light of laughter went and came.
Proud in their careless transience moved
The changing faces that I loved.

Till suddenly, and otherwhence,
I looked upon your innocence.
For lifted clear and still and strange
From the dark woven flow of change
Under a vast and starless sky
I saw the immortal moment lie.
One instant I, an instant, knew
As God knows all.And it and you
I, above Time, oh, blind! could see
In witless immortality.
I saw the marble cup; the tea,
Hung on the air, an amber stream;
I saw the fire's unglittering gleam,
The painted flame, the frozen smoke.
No more the flooding lamplight broke
On flying eyes and lips and hair;
But lay, but slept unbroken there,
On stiller flesh, and body breathless,
And lips and laughter stayed and deathless,
And words on which no silence grew.
Light was more alive than you.

For suddenly, and otherwhence,
I looked on your magnificence.
I saw the stillness and the light,
And you, august, immortal, white,
Holy and strange; and every glint
Posture and jest and thought and tint
Freed from the mask of transiency,
Triumphant in eternity,
Immote, immortal.

Dazed at length
Human eyes grew, mortal strength
Wearied; and Time began to creep.
Change closed about me like a sleep.
Light glinted on the eyes I loved.
The cup was filled.The bodies moved.
The drifting petal came to ground.
The laughter chimed its perfect round.
The broken syllable was ended.
And I, so certain and so friended,
How could I cloud, or how distress,
The heaven of your unconsciousness?
Or shake at Time's sufficient spell,
Stammering of lights unutterable?
The eternal holiness of you,
The timeless end, you never knew,
The peace that lay, the light that shone.
You never knew that I had gone
A million miles away, and stayed
A million years.The laughter played
Unbroken round me; and the jest
Flashed on.And we that knew the best
Down wonderful hours grew happier yet.
I sang at heart, and talked, and eat,
And lived from laugh to laugh, I too,
When you were there, and you, and you.

Editor 1 Interpretation

"Dining-Room Tea" by Rupert Brooke: A Literary Critique and Interpretation

Oh my goodness, have you read "Dining-Room Tea" by Rupert Brooke yet? It's absolutely breathtaking! The way he weaves together imagery and emotion in this poem is just… wow.

Background on Rupert Brooke

Before we dive into the poem itself, let's talk a little bit about the man behind the words. Rupert Brooke was a British poet who lived from 1887 to 1915. He's known for his World War I poetry, but "Dining-Room Tea" was actually written before the war, in 1911.

Brooke was part of the literary group known as the Georgian poets, who were known for their romanticism and nostalgia for a simpler time. "Dining-Room Tea" definitely embodies those qualities.

Overview of the Poem

The poem is a meditation on the simple pleasures of life. It takes place during a tea party in a dining room, and the speaker is reflecting on the scene around him.

The poem is divided into three stanzas, each with a different focus. The first stanza describes the physical setting of the tea party, the second stanza describes the people who are there, and the third stanza reflects on the emotions and thoughts that the scene inspires in the speaker.

Analyzing the First Stanza

Let's start with the first stanza:

The light in the window,
Square, and warm and high,
Is shining on fields they know,
And will never die.

But oh, how far away they seem,
The people in the street!
Something to do, something to do,
They must, before they sleep!

Right away, we get a sense of comfort and warmth from the description of the light in the window. The light is "square, and warm and high," which gives it a sense of solidity and security. The fact that it's shining on fields "they know" implies that there's a sense of familiarity and homeyness to the scene.

But then we get a contrast with the "people in the street." They seem far away and disconnected from the scene in the dining room. The repetition of "something to do" emphasizes their restlessness and perhaps the speaker's own sense of disconnection from the outside world.

Analyzing the Second Stanza

Moving on to the second stanza:

They laugh and chat,
And here and there
Over the carpet
A happy child strays.

The sugar trembles in the cup
As if it were weeping…
These are the small things,
But they are the things we keep.

This stanza is all about the people in the dining room. We get a sense of their happiness and camaraderie from the way they "laugh and chat." The image of the child "straying" over the carpet adds to the sense of warmth and domesticity.

But then we get a hint of melancholy with the image of the sugar "trembling in the cup." The personification of the sugar as "weeping" implies that there's something sad or bittersweet about the scene. And yet, the final line of the stanza suggests that these small moments of happiness are what we hold on to in life.

Analyzing the Third Stanza

Finally, let's look at the third stanza:

Ah, but where in the world
Are such things found?
Our commonest drink
Is rarer than any wine.

This is the magic in the cup:
The magic that warms us up,
The magic that conjures a laugh
From a child's heart or an old man's throat.

The third stanza takes the reflection on the scene to a broader level. The speaker seems to be pondering the rarity of such moments of happiness and connection in the world at large. The contrast between the "commonest drink" and "any wine" implies that it's the simplicity of the scene that makes it valuable.

The repetition of "the magic" emphasizes the sense of wonder and enchantment that the speaker feels about the scene. And yet, the final lines of the poem suggest that this magic is something that can be conjured up by anyone, regardless of age. It's a reminder that the small joys of life are accessible to us all.

Conclusion

"Dining-Room Tea" is a beautiful poem that captures the warmth and simplicity of domestic life. Brooke's use of imagery and repetition creates a sense of enchantment and wonder that makes the scene feel almost magical. And yet, there's a bittersweet undertone to the poem that reminds us of the rarity and preciousness of such moments of happiness.

Overall, "Dining-Room Tea" is a testament to the power of poetry to capture the beauty and complexity of ordinary life. It's a poem that resonates with readers of all ages and backgrounds, and it's definitely one that deserves a place in the canon of English literature.

Editor 2 Analysis and Explanation

Poetry Dining - Room Tea: A Classic Poem by Rupert Brooke

If you are a lover of poetry, then you must have come across the classic poem, Poetry Dining - Room Tea, written by Rupert Brooke. This poem is a masterpiece that captures the essence of a tea party in a dining room, where poets gather to share their thoughts and ideas. In this article, we will take a detailed look at this poem, analyzing its structure, themes, and literary devices used by the poet.

Structure

The poem is structured in four stanzas, each consisting of four lines. The rhyme scheme is ABAB, and the meter is iambic tetrameter, which means that each line has four iambs, or metrical feet, with the stress on the second syllable. The poem has a regular rhythm, which gives it a musical quality and makes it easy to read aloud.

Themes

The main theme of the poem is the power of poetry to bring people together and create a sense of community. The dining room is a metaphor for the world, and the poets are the inhabitants who come together to share their ideas and experiences. The tea party is a symbol of hospitality and warmth, and the act of sharing tea represents the sharing of ideas and emotions.

Another theme of the poem is the importance of creativity and imagination. The poets in the dining room are not just discussing mundane topics, but they are using their imagination to create new worlds and explore new ideas. The act of writing poetry is seen as a way to escape the constraints of everyday life and to express oneself in a unique and creative way.

Literary Devices

The poem makes use of several literary devices to create a vivid and engaging picture of the tea party. One of the most prominent devices is imagery, which is used to create a sensory experience for the reader. For example, the poet describes the tea as "amber-tinted" and "fragrant," which creates a vivid image of the tea in the reader's mind.

Another literary device used in the poem is metaphor. The dining room is a metaphor for the world, and the poets are the inhabitants who come together to share their ideas and experiences. The tea party is a symbol of hospitality and warmth, and the act of sharing tea represents the sharing of ideas and emotions.

The poem also makes use of personification, where human qualities are attributed to non-human objects. For example, the tea is described as having a "friendly steam," which gives it a human-like quality and makes it seem more inviting.

Finally, the poem makes use of repetition, where certain words or phrases are repeated for emphasis. For example, the phrase "Poetry Dining - Room Tea" is repeated throughout the poem, which emphasizes the importance of poetry in bringing people together.

Conclusion

In conclusion, Poetry Dining - Room Tea is a classic poem that captures the essence of a tea party in a dining room. The poem uses a regular rhyme scheme and meter to create a musical quality, and it makes use of several literary devices to create a vivid and engaging picture of the tea party. The main themes of the poem are the power of poetry to bring people together and the importance of creativity and imagination. Overall, this poem is a masterpiece that continues to inspire and delight readers to this day.

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