Laurence
Edward Alan "Laurie" Lee, MBE born on June 26, 1914 was an English poet, novelist and
screenwriter, who was brought up in the small village of Slad in
Gloucestershire, England. His most notable work is the autobiographical trilogy
Cider with Rosie, As I Walked Out One
Midsummer Morning, and A Moment of
War. He died on May 13, 1997, Slad, United
Kingdom
April Rise – Laurie Lee
“April
Rise” contains 5 quatrains rhyming abcd
eeee (slant rhyme) agea cchc iccc.
The title “April Rise” refers to the beginning of the warm season of the year -
the beginning of the cycle of life.
Looking at the
first stanza rhyming abcd:
If ever I saw blessing in the air
I see it now in this still early day
Where lemon-green the
vaporous [M1] morning
drips
Wet
sunlight [M2] on
the powder of my eye.
The
poetic persona presents himself as “I” in the poem and presents several
personal opinions about a summer day. Of course, the description of the
different parts of the day could be read as a metaphor for the different stages
of human life itself. Looking at the early
morning world, the poetic persona pronounces that the very air carries
blessings. In those early morning hours, the lemon-green misty morning is dripping wet sunlight that
washes away the grittiness/powderiness of the poetic persona’s eyes- so, he can
see better. There are both visual and tactile images in the stanza.
Blown bubble-film of blue, the sky wraps round
Weeds of warm light whose every root and rod
Splutters with soapy green, and all the world
Sweats with the bead of summer in its bud.
With his newly
restored clear vision the poetic persona sees the blue summer sky over his head
in the 2nd stanza. The sky is a blue bubble-film
(metaphor/alliteration) that covers/protects the rays of sunlight that comes
down from the sun on that summer day. The bubble film sky is there to keep the
world warm. The season being summer, sunlight is more plentiful unlike in the
winter, hence the warm light is compared to weeds. Every part of the light
plant (extended metaphor) is charged with so much energy that they are
spluttering soapy green. In that early morning, the entire world was a in its bud
– an unopened flower – which is covered with the dew of the summer. Stanza 2
was primarily, visual. The idea of energy is suggested by the onomatopoeic term
“Splutters”.
If ever I heard blessing it is there
Where birds in trees that shoals and shadows are
Splash with their hidden wings and drops of sound
Break on my ears their crests of throbbing air.
The
3rd stanza is primarily auditory. The poet begins with parallel
structure. He hears birds sheltering in the unseen parts of a tree. He uses a
metaphor of a watery place to describe the tree. The birds in that imagined
space become fish among the shoals and shadows. The birds are making all kinds
of noises. The sound waves generated by the birds break against the poet’s ear.
The poetic person considers his ears to be blessed to hear such marvelous
sounds.
Pure in the haze the emerald sun
dilates,
The lips of sparrows milk the mossy stones,
While white as water by the lake a girl
Swims her green hand among the gathered swans.
Little by little the sun is becoming hotter – the sun is dilating. The sun can
be read as a woman about to give birth or an eye focusing on something. Still
the primary colour is green. Sparrows are birds associated with the Goddess of
Love – Venus/ Aphrodite. Sparrows feeding on moss growing on stones are
compared to calves sucking milk from cows – metaphor. There is a very fair girl
sitting by the lake and she is moving one of her hands through the green water
of the lake which is currently occupied by the swans. Swans are a symbol of
constancy and devotion – symbols of togetherness. The stanza ends with the
entire world busy with gathering food, enjoying the warmth and procreating.
Now, as the almond burns its smoking
wick,
Dropping small flames to light the candled grass;
Now, as my low blood scales its second chance,
If ever world were blessed, now it is.
With
that the poem moves towards the end of the day – the poet compares the day to lighted candle and now
the entire candle is burnt out, even the wick is smoking. Burning almond
creates pleasant gustatory and olfactory images. At the same time there is
something sinister about the smell of almond as it is associated with cyanide –
the day is dying. The golden light of the setting sun falls on the grass. The
poet sees this as the sun rays trying to light “the candled grass”. The sight
is so beautiful, the poet’s “low blood” -
- is sired up. The beautiful scenery he saw early in the morning was the
first “chance”, this is the “second chance”. As a result his low blood scales –
climbs. He may be feeling more energetic. “[S]cales” can also refer to musical
scales – the sight makes his low blood sing with joy. Considering all that he
had experienced, the conclusion he had arrived at was that it was the most
perfect day he had ever experienced.]
Exercise
If ever I saw blessing in the air
I see it now in this still early day
Where lemon-green the vaporous morning drips [pathetic fallacy]
Wet sunlight on the powder of my eye.
1.
What does the air contain?
2.
What time of the day is it?
3.
What are the modifiers used to describe the morning?
4.
What makes the morning vaporous?
5.
What does the morning drips on the narrative persona’s
eye?
6.
Why do you think the poetic persona’s eye is
powdery?
Blown bubble-film of blue, the sky wraps round
Weeds of warm light whose every root and rod
Splutters with soapy green, and all the world
Sweats with the bead of summer in its bud.
1.
What does the poetic
persona compare the sky to?
2.
Do you think it is
appropriate to compare the sky to that?
3.
What is the
technique used in the first line?
4.
Why do you think the
writer calls the warm light to weeds?
5.
What do you think
the writer means by the phrase “soapy green”?
6.
What does the poet
compare the world to?
7.
What makes the world
sweat?
If ever I heard blessing it is there
Where birds in trees that shoals and shadows are
Splash with their hidden wings and drops of sound
Break on my ears their crests of throbbing air.
1.
Where are the birds?
2.
Where are the birds
according to the poet? Is the metaphor appropriate?
3.
What does poet
compare the sounds made by the birds to?
Pure in the haze the emerald sun dilates,
The lips of sparrows milk the mossy stones,
While white as water by the lake a girl
Swims her green hand among the gathered swans.
1.
What is happening to
the sun? Use your own words.
2.
What does the poet
compare the feeding sparrows to?
3.
Who is by the lake?
What is that person doing?
4.
What do you think
the poet is trying to convey through the reference to the swans?
Now, as the almond burns its smoking wick,
Dropping small flames to light the candled grass;
Now, as my low blood scales its second chance,
If ever world were blessed, now it is.
1.
What is the time of
the day being described in the last stanza?
2.
What does the poet
compare the day to? What had happen to the thing the day was compared to?
3.
Why do you think the
poet calls the grass “candled grass”?
4.
What can be the two
meanings of the term “scales”?
5.
Why is the poetic
persona’s low blood scaling?
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