Silver Poem by Walter de la Mare
Silver
Slowly, silently, now the moon
Walks the night in her silver shoon;
This way, and that, she peers, and sees
Silver fruit upon silver trees;
One by one the casements catch
Her beams beneath the silvery thatch;
Couched in his kennel, like a log,
With paws of silver sleeps the dog;
From their shadowy cote the white breasts peep
Of doves in silver feathered sleep
A harvest mouse goes scampering by,
With silver claws, and silver eye;
And moveless fish in the water gleam,
By silver reeds in a silver stream.
Our English teacher in Kashmir told us that in litery terms this is called Personification, any thing that does not have life when you see with physical eye but author in words describes it in such a way that it has the physical form. Moon which when we see with physical form is lifeless moving around earth but poet makes you believe that she is moving & she sees various things. In fact this concept of Personification has been used in various religions to describe God, Heaven, Hell etc.
I, too, have long loved 'Silver' and I've never considered it only a children's poem. I have never thought, however, that a poem must have 'levels' of meaning or allegory or should be deciphered like a puzzle in 'National Treasure' in order to be considered a work for adults. Though the haiku is constrained by form and is non-rhyming, I think the most vital part of the art is the creation of one intense image or impression and, in this sense, 'Silver' is truly like an extended haiku. Poems are different things to all people and we all put our own meanings to them, but 'Silver' will be a vivid and beautiful image of night for me. People insist on making so many levels of meaning, for instance, of 'Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening' but it may be my favorite poem (who can really pick just one favorite) because it is so beautiful and I can feel the cold and smell the woods and hear... well, that is how I feel poetry. We must all embrace them in the way that the poem most moves us and it would be impossible to appreciate 'The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner' on imagery alone, not to mention that it requires deep thought to keep track of what is going on, but I'll stick with the powerful imagery and beauty of 'Silver'
I won a speech competition at age 12 by reading this poem since then it has become a firm favourite
A wonderful poem so beautifully expressed adorned with superb imagery.
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/18/2024 3:22:59 PM # 1.0.0.1119
Of all the poems I was taught (read forced to learn) as a child, this (and five eyes) will remain with me to to the end of my days. and moveless fish...in a silver stream one of the most evocative two lines I've ever encountered.