Green Billows

In Mary Robinson's The Haunted Beach, "green billows" are mentioned in eight of the nine stanzas of the poem. But what are these green billows and what can the reader learn from them?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines a billow in a number of ways including, "a great swelling of the sea often caused by wind." The picture to the left is likely the image the author is trying to convey in her text.

These green billows are described in four different ways, where the green billows:

1) made
2) stray'd
3) play'd
4) play

I want to focus on the fact that the first three words are in past tense, referring to events/actions of the past, whereas the fourth word is in the present tense. These words alone give us a skeletal map of the time-series of the poem. While the majority of this piece of poetry dwells on past events and occurrences, the last paragraphs switch to present tense. Upon first reading, at least for me, I did not so much pick up on this transition in reference of time. So, broadly speaking, these green billows can be said to represent time in the poem; although things occur in the past, they also occur in the present, which itself become the past. The green billows are a never-ending natural clock.

ABBA CDDC EFEFGG

First of all, this is not to be confused with Swedish pop band ABBA, I am referring to the structure of Charlotte Smith's Sonnet III To A Nightengale.

Although it does fit the Shakespearean sonnet form in that it is a fourteen line composition, it does have a number of areas where it diverges from that norm. First and foremost, this poem does not follow iambic pentameter perfectly - it has a number of lines that are more or less than ten syllables. I think this is an intentional move by Ms. Smith to distinguish her writings from other contemporary Sonnets.

What struck me as even more interesting as far as being a "renegade" in her writing, I will now discuss the title of this post. I am certain you know that I am referring to the rhyme scheme of this Sonnet. Although the traditional three quatrain and rhyming couplet is in place, the schemes are somewhat inverted in the sense that it would usually be ABAB but the author instead flips the third and fourth lines.

I see these minor acts of defiance as attempts to differ from the norm. Given that the author of this poem is female in a highly male-dominated field and time, this attempt to appeal to the read from a different angle is appealing and intriguing. Good work, Ms. Smith.

Sonnet On Seeing Miss Helen Maria Williams Weep At A Tale Of Distress

In this sonnet, which was Wordsworth's first published poem, he uses tears a representation of emotion, which is an important consideration in analyzing what he is trying to convey. From the onset, there is allusion to religious ideas and themes, specifically relating to Jesus. The subject of the poem, Helen Maria Williams, in my interpretation is supposed to be Jesus. While reading this poem, it conjured up images of Jesus up on that actual Crucifix. Whether it was the "purple tide flowing" which represented the blood of Jesus likely coming down from his forehead or the "closing eye" which represents his fleeting life, make no mistake this story is not coincidentally similar to that of Jesus. It is in fact a metaphorical representation of this story about a woman that Wordsworth had not even met yet!

As far as the tear is concerned, Maria seems to be weeping out of despair, which in turn brings tears, as a response to seeing the pain and misfortune of others. This seems somewhat analogous and reminiscent of the story of Jesus, as far as taking serious pain in the misdoings of others. An awesome commercial demonstrates this. Just as the childhood notion of rain being "God crying" Helen Maria Williams' tears are tantamount to "Jesus suffering."

I was quite surprised at how religiously inspired this poem was in its entirety, a pretty risky move for someone's first public publishing. A strong showing of Wordsworth's intestinal fortitude.

Time

There is an interesting relationship between the past, present and future in the of Lines Written a Few Miles above Tintern Abbey. Wordsworth begins this poem by taking great lengths to describe the length of time between his last visit to this location and the one in which he was presently writing about. I believe the point of this is to make a clear delineation of time.

In recalling previous memories while in the same area five years prior, Wordsworth remarks that these past experiences served as a crutch to help get him through life. Although it had been a considerable period of time since his last visit, the present observations are no different than the past memories he recalled in his mind. According to Wordsworth the "forms of beauty" helped him get through tough, lonely times. Specifically Wordsworth affirms that it brought him tranquil restoration: that is the past brought him help and emotion in the present. Here we see the past bringing happiness and contentment to the present.

Later in the poem Wordsworth shows another dimension of the time component when he states, " Of present pleasure, but with pleasing thoughts that in this moment there is life and food for future years." Earlier he recognized that the past served as a crutch in the present (now the past); here Wordsworth demonstrates that what is present now will become past in the future and will again serve as a means to reflect and gain strength from. It is a never-ending, self-powering cycle - but for Wordsworth a good one. Overall, Wordsworth's revisiting of this location provides a good forum for exploring the meaning and application of time.