Text of the Poem:
Sparks-
From
an old anvil-
Desiccated
petals of fire-
And
the rafter
Blackened
by generations of smoke,
Don’t
give up:
Nothing
lasts longer
Then
what can be endured?
Boats
on the river
And
the flowering almond trees.
Love-
Cloudless
wine,
But
something is always lacking
Does
man learn by suffering?
The
night
Neither
denies or affirms.
Glimpses
(or memories) of perfection.
Cusp
of the moon
Fortuitous
conjunctions.
The leaf turns with the wind
Structural and Stylistic Devices:
- The poem is divided into two
stanzas of uneven lines.
- The poet in this poem
incorporates a disruptive syntax with the use of fragmented sentences. He
also employs blank verse with no particular rhyming scheme.
- He also uses an unreliable narrator to achieve defamiliarization.
- The poet incorporates different punctuation markers such as (:), (;), (?), and (.) in the poem.
Literary
Devices:
Imagery:
The poet incorporates
seven different imageries in the poem at different instances. In the first
stanza, he used the imageries of “sparks from an old anvil”, “rafters blackened
by the generation of smoke”, “boats on the river”, and “flowering almond
trees”. Whereas, in the second stanza he incorporates imageries such as “cusp
of the moon”, “fortuitous conjunctions” and “leaves turn with the wind”.
Metaphor:
The poet uses the
metaphor of “desiccated petals of fire” for the sparks.
Symbolism:
The poet in this poem
uses symbolism many times. For instance, the imageries of sparks and blackened
smoke are highly symbolic as the poet uses them as a symbol for hardships.
Similarly, the imagery of “flowering almond trees” represents life and vitality
which is used to symbolize success. In the second stanza, the imageries of imperfection
are symbolic. The poet uses the as a symbol for beauty.
Interpretation of the
poem:
The sparks rising from
an old anvil appear to be desiccated petals of fire. These sparks have
blackened the rafter by their smoke. The poet advises his audience that even in
the face of blackened hardships, one must never give up as these hardships are
temporary. Eventually, a person will overcome these adversities of life and
will be rewarded with vitality and success.
Love us linked with
cloudless wine- as it is, like other things lacking something. The poet
questions that whether a man learns by suffering? The night can neither
appreciate the beauty of the moon nor can it deny it. Just like in the
fortuitous conjunctions and the leaves which are turned by the wind, beauty is
present everywhere.
