Author: Madison Julius Cawein
What joy you take in making hotness hotter, In emphasizing dullness with your buzz, Making monotony more monotonous! When Summer comes, and drouth hath dried the water In all the creeks, we hear your ragged rasp Filing the stillness. Or, as urchins beat A stagnant pond whereon the bubbles gasp, Your switch-like music whips the midday heat. O bur of sound caught in the Summer's hair, We hear you everywhere! We hear you in the vines and berry-brambles, Along the unkempt lanes, among the weeds, Amid the shadeless meadows, gray with seeds, And by the wood 'round which the rail-fence rambles, Sawing the sunlight with your sultry saw. Or, like to tomboy truants, at their play With noisy mirth among the barn's deep straw, You sing away the careless summer-day. O brier-like voice that clings in idleness To Summer's drowsy dress! You tramp of insects, vagrant and unheeding, Improvident, who of the summer make One long green mealtime, and for winter take No care, aye singing or just merely feeding! Happy-go-lucky vagabond, 'though frost Shall pierce, ere long, your green coat or your brown, And pinch your body, let no song be lost, But as you lived into your grave go down Like some small poet with his little rhyme, Forgotten of all time.
Type of Poem: Lyric Poem
Date Written:
Date Published:
Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Publisher:
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Comments/Notes: This poem employs vivid imagery and metaphorical language to personify an insect, presumably a cicada or some similar creature, that is emblematic of the hot, languid days of summer. The use of sound-related language and auditory imagery such as "buzz," "ragged rasp," "switch-like music," and "sultry saw" underscores the auditory impact of the insect's presence and punctuates the otherwise oppressive silence of the summer heat.
The poem is structured primarily in quatrains, with a consistent ABAB rhyme scheme, which lends a rhythmic, predictable quality mimicking the unceasing drone of the insect's song. The themes explored include the relentless passage of time, the carefree spirit of summer, and the inevitability of death. This is an ode to the insect as an unwitting poet, endlessly composing its "little rhyme" despite its forthcoming demise, thereby encapsulating the transience and beauty of life itself. The tone is both celebratory and melancholic, acknowledging the insect's unheeded joy and inevitable oblivion.
The poet's choice to depict the insect as a "vagrant," "improvident," and "happy-go-lucky" resonates with the bohemian ethos of living in the moment, further driving home the poem's central themes. This meditation on the ephemeral nature of life, composed in the context of the seemingly unchanging cycle of summer days, invites the reader to reflect on their own mortality and the beauty inherent in life's fleeting moments.
Lyric poetry is a powerful and intimate form of expression, characterized by its focus on the personal emotions and thoughts of the poet. Often musical in nature, lyric poems resonate with readers through their vivid language and rhythmic flow, capturing moments of intense feeling.
Here are some key characteristics that define lyric poetry:
From ancient odes to contemporary free verse, lyric poetry remains a beloved and enduring form, celebrated for its ability to articulate the nuances of human emotion in a way that resonates deeply with readers.