Yet this will go onward the same Though Dynasties pass.

Yet this will go onward the same 

Though Dynasties pass.

Quoted from Thomas Hardy's lyric "In time of "The Breaking of Nations"", these lines show a contrast between the evolution of life and the fall of the dynasties.

Throughout the flow of human civilization we find a total domination of royal characters and their dramatic life stories in the pages of history. From a superficial observation it might seem that history is nothing but a glorification of royal families. However, the poet contradicts this notion. He presents some fundamental human activities in the background of royal dynasties which are in a fallen condition. The dynasties will come and go but the eternal drama of human life will never end. Though the royal families rule over different countries, they meet a sure end, the typical human activities symbolized by the agricultural occupation never stop. The dynasties, their activities and wars are not essential for human life, but outwardly average human activities are integral part of human history.

In this quotation Hardy exposes the shallowness of European dynasties which created the First World War in their dying era. However, this Great War symbolizes all wars, as the shallowness of the dynasties stands for the hollowness of all the rulers.

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War's annals will cloud into night Ere their story die.

War's annals will cloud into night 

Ere their story die.

These are the concluding lines of Thomas Hardy's poem "In time of "The Breaking of Nations"". Here the poet makes a contrast between human life and the hollow wars.

In this poem the poet celebrates the common human life with all its ordinary, unglamorous, petty but fundamental human activities. He brings the images of a peasant walking slowly, silently and with a tired body beside his tired horse. They are busy in breaking the clods over the ploughed field. He also offers a picture of a lover-couple in their natural action of merry making. This couple's talk in a low voice offers a striking contrast with the large destructive world of war. However, the history of the world will fade away but the love story of young couples will continue forever. The activity of procreation will protect the human race. Here Hardy shows his criticism of wars. Wars which are destructive, dehumanizing and diabolical will perish in touch of the human passion of procreation and love.

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Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:

Nor shall death brag thou wander'st in his shade, 

When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st:

These are the last two lines of the third quatrain of "Sonnet-XVIII", composed by the famous Elizabethan poet and dramatist, William Shakespeare. In these lines the speaker of the poem very confidently declares the immortality of his friend.

friend, compares his friend's beauty with a summer's day. But soon he In this sonnet the speaker, in an attempt to praise the beauty of his remembers that the beauty of his friend is more temperate than the beauty frequently. Rough winds blow and destroy beautiful blooming buds of of a day in summer. It is because the temperature of summer changes May. Moreover, the duration of summer is very short. Consequently, the beauty of summer is not comparable to the beauty of the fair youth who is more moderate, more beautiful. The friend's beauty is unchangeable and ever lasting. Death cannot defeat him and take him to his kingdom in the underworld since he has been immortalised in the lines of this poem. The enmity of "time" has been defeated here. Thus, the poet passes on from the mortal world to the unchangeable immortal world in these lines.

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The tigers in the panel that she made Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid

The tigers in the panel that she made 

Will go on prancing, proud and unafraid

These are the concluding lines of "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich, one of the leading feminist poets of American literature. Here we find a vivid picture of Aunt Jennifer's tigers which symbolize the undaunted wishes of female freedom.

Aunt Jennifer is the typical middle aged woman with an unhappy married life. Her experience of the conjugal life has made her passive, terrified and overpowered by the possessive husband. However, the tigers in her tapestry-works are animated and lively. Aunt Jennifer's life is controlled and male dominated but the tigers are free, fearless and proud. The tigers represent those values that Jennifer has to repress in her real life. The strength, assertion, fearlessness, and independence projected in the movements of the tigers are contrasted to the life of bondage and slavery of a typical woman. This glorious example of joy and freedom also highlights the dreams of Jennifer. In real life she is a passive agent, in the dreams she is active just like her creations, the tigers.

The concluding stanza sounds highly surrealistic. Overriding all norms, the tigers or the repressed dreams of Jennifer move on. The boldness of that life highlights the falsehood of conventional married life which is based on fear and inhibitions. The poem's conclusion celebrates the animal imagery as a kind of triumph over male domination. The tigers point at the differences between her actual social status and her subconscious vision.

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The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.

The massive weight of Uncle's wedding band 

Sits heavily upon Aunt Jennifer's hand.

Quoted from "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich, these lines strike the key note of the poem. Adrienne Rich, a leading feminist poet of America, here suggests that women suffer from male domination after marriage.

Aunt Jennifer, now a lady in her middle age, has been married to an uncle. Her husband presented her a ring as a traditional gift during their marriage. The marriage institution guaranteed the husband a dominating power over his wife. The society that controls the male female relationship has made the role of the wife subordinated to the husband. The wife's wishes are suppressed and her desires are strangled. Her freedom is ruled by the patriarchal society. Aunt Jennifer is ruled by her husband, and by the society led by male members of the society. Her wishes, her desires, her sense of freedom have always been repressed. It began with the wedding band', the symbol of the husband's superiority. The words, "massive' and 'heavily', imply the gravity of her sufferings. These lines reflect Rich's feminist attitude and her protest.

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Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen, Bright topaz denizens of a world of green

Aunt Jennifer's tigers prance across a screen, 

Bright topaz denizens of a world of green

These are the opening lines of "Aunt Jennifer's Tigers" by Adrienne Rich, one of the leading feminist poets of American literature. Here we get a picture of the artistic skill of Jennifer embodied in the images of the tigers.

Aunt Jennifer is the typical middle aged woman with a devastating married life. Her experience of the conjugal life has made her passive, terrified and overwhelmed by the possessive husband. However, she finds out her own way to express the independence denied to her. She is expert in needle work. On silk curtains, she creates fearless tigers. Though she is not bold, assertive and strong in her personal life, she has created the pictures of some creatures which will carry on her indomitable wishes. The tigers do not move only but stride ferociously. This movement of the animals represents the strength that Jennifer wishes unconsciously. The tigers are not average creatures. They are proud inhabitants of the forests. The image of topaz stones conveys their dignity and value. In a very artistic and subtle way Aunt Jennifer expresses her feeble protest against her modest domestic life by portraying the vigorous tigers which defy all regulations.

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It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.

It may be we shall touch the Happy Isles, 

And see the great Achilles, whom we knew.

This is an extract from "Ulysses", a famous dramatic monologue, composed by Tennyson who had been the Poet Laureate of the Victorian period. Here Ulysses hints at the possible consequences of their new adventure reflecting the Victorian spirit.

Ulysses returned home after twenty years of troublesome journey. But the family life failed to attract him. He decides to start a new voyage with his comrades who accompanied him in the Trojan War. He addresses his old companions to encourage them. He says that he will continue his adventurous journey in search of new experiences till his death. He plans to go beyond the horizon where the sun sets. He says there is possibility that they will be drowned in the deep ocean and die. In that case, after their death, they will reach the Happy Isle in the under world. The Happy Isle is a heavenly place where the virtuous people are allowed to live after death. Ulysses thinks that they have lived virtuous life on earth, and so, they deserve this place where heroes like Achilles live. Achilles was the greatest warrior in the Trojan War. Ulysses hopes that, if they die in their new adventure, they will meet Achilles who is already dead.

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One equal temper of heroic hearts,Made weak by time and fate, but strong in To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

One equal temper of heroic hearts,

Made weak by time and fate, but strong in 

To strive, to seek, to find, and not to yield.

These are the concluding lines of "Ulysses", a famous dramatic monologue, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate of the Victorian period. These lines reflect Ulysses' indomitable spirit.

Ulysses returned home after twenty years. He fought in the Trojan War. He also fought with the gods, giants, witches and storms on his way back. He is widely experienced in hardship and struggle. But still his heart craves for new adventures and new knowledge. He decides to set out on a new journey. He speaks to his old comrades and encourages them in undertaking a new adventure. Ulysses feels that he is no longer strong. His old age has made him weak. Besides, his fate has not been always favourable to him. But he has the will power to encounter any adverse situation. He believes that his indomitable strength of mind will enable him and his comrades to fight back enemies, to explore the unexplored and to win any battle. In these lines, Tennyson encourages the Victorian people through the mythical character, Ulysses. These lines, thus, reflect the Victorian spirit.

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Death closes all: but something ere the end, Some work of noble note, may yet be done, Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.

Death closes all: but something ere the end, 

Some work of noble note, may yet be done, 

Not unbecoming men that strove with Gods.

Ulysses speaks these lines in Tennyson's famous dramatic monologue, "Ulysses". In these lines Ulysses inspires his old comrades to undertake a new adventure in search of new experience.

After twenty years of battle with men and gods, Ulysses returned to his own kingdom, Ithaca. He became old. His wife also became old. But the blissful family life failed to satisfy his adventurous spirit. Now he wants to set out for a new journey knowing well its hardship. He calls his old companions and encourages them in a new adventure. He argues that death is the end of life. So before their death they should make proper use of the time still left. He reminds them that, in the past, they fought not only with human beings but also with gods and goddesses. He refers to the Trojan War and the battles he had to fight against Poseidon and his allies on the sea on his way back. He says that the heroes who fought with man and super natural powers should not sit idle. They are fit for undertaking any difficult exploration. Here, through Ulysses, Tennyson encourages the Victorian people to know the unknown.

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And this gray spirit yearning in desire To follow knowledge, like a sinking star, Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

And this gray spirit yearning in desire

To follow knowledge, like a sinking star, 

Beyond the utmost bound of human thought.

These lines have been taken from "Ulysses", one of the famous dramatic monologues, composed by Tennyson, the Poet Laureate of the Victorian period. These lines suggest Ulysses' unquenchable thirst for knowledge.

Ulysses was a great hero of the ancient Greeks. He fought in the Trojan War and won the battle after ten years. His return journey also took ten years. In these twenty years he acquired much knowledge. He became old when he returned home. But the peace of homely life could not satisfy him. He was soon bored with it. Now he wants to go out of Ithaca, his homeland, in search of new adventures and experiences. His indomitable spirit drives him to cross the limit of horizon, to enter that realm of knowledge, which is still untrodden by human beings. The simile in these lines implies the unknown area of the outer space, which is still beyond the reach of human knowledge, Ulysses, though old, has the mental strength to continue his journey in search of knowledge. His carnest desire for acquiring newer knowledge reflects the Victorian spirit of exploration. Thus, in these lines, Tennyson uses Ulysses as a spokesman of the Victorian period.

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How dull it is to pause, to make an end, To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!

How dull it is to pause, to make an end,

To rust unburnish'd, not to shine in use!

These lines are from "Ulysses", composed by Tennyson, the famous poet of the Victorian age. These lines suggest Ulysses' hatred for inaction and the thriving spirit of the Victorian period.

Ulysses returned home after twenty years. He passed ten years in the Trojan War and ten years on his way back to home. He is now old. But his heart is still young. He still has the unquenchable thirst for adventure and exploration. He cannot live an idle life without the charm of adventure. The poet here uses a metaphor to suggest this mental state of Ulysses. A sword remains shiny when it is in use. But if it is not used and kept in scabbard, a layer of rust spoils it. Tennyson, in these lines, compares life to a sword. Life, like a sword, is spoiled if it is not used in activities. Thus, here is a suggestion that life should be used in action. This belief of Ulysses is, in fact, the belief of the Victorians. The Victorians succeeded in geographical exploration, acquisition of knowledge, industrialization and in over all development of life but they were not happy with their achievements. They wanted more and more success. This spirit of the age has been implied in these lines.

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I am a part of all that I have met; Yet all experience is an arch wherethro' Gleams that untravell'd world, whose margin fades For ever and for ever when I move.

I am a part of all that I have met;

Yet all experience is an arch wherethro'

Gleams that untravell'd world, whose margin fades 

For ever and for ever when I move.

This is an extract from "Ulysses", a famous dramatic monologue composed by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the representative poet of the Victorian age. These lines suggest Ulysses' unquenchable thirst for the unexplored realm of knowledge. The poet here suggests the indomitable spirit of the Victorian age.

Ulysses travelled a lot. He also fought at the battle of Troy for ten years and won the battle. He had to fight against the supernatural enemies for ten years on water. So he had seen much and learned much, But still he thinks that his knowledge is limited and there is much yet to know. He says that the more he learns, the more he discovers the unknown. So his heart years in desire to explore the still unexplored things of the world. Thus, these lines reflect Ulysses' unquenchable thirst for knowledge. Being the Poet Laureate, Tennyson here presents the spirit of his age. In his period it was a common desire to know the unknown, to discover the undiscovered, to acquire what was not acquired. Therefore, these lines reflect the Victorian aspiration.

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All times I have enjoy'd Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those That loved me, and alone; on shore, and whenThro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades Vext the dim sea:

All times I have enjoy'd

Greatly, have suffer'd greatly, both with those 

That loved me, and alone; on shore, and when

Thro' scudding drifts the rainy Hyades

Vext the dim sea:

These lines have been taken from the famous dramatic monologue "Ulysses", composed by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the representative poet of the Victorian period. These lines refer to the troubles that Ulysses had to face while returning from the battle of Troy.

Ulysses was one of the great Greek heroes who fought against the Trojans at the battle of Troy to rescue Helen. After the Trojan battle, on his way back to his homeland, Ithaca, he had to suffer a lot for the enmity of some gods and goddesses. In all these adventurous events, his heroic comrades shared both his troubles and joys. It took him ten years to return to his kingdom because of the hostility, mainly of Poseidon, the god of oceans. He had to survive after fighting back storms, giants and witches. In these lines, all these troubles have been alluded. Ulysses and his companions fought heroically with the Trojans, won the battle and enjoyed the pleasure of victory. His victory in the sea also brought him pleasure. Therefore, pain and pleasure made him famous.

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I cannot rest from travel; I will drink Life to the lees.

I cannot rest from travel; 

I will drink Life to the lees.

These lines have been quoted from a famous dramatic monologue. "Ulysses", composed by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, the Poet Laureate of Victorian age. In these lines, Ulysses, the speaker suggests his earnest desire to enjoy life to the maximum limit. Here the poet suggests Victorian spirit.

After the battle of Troy. Ulysses returned home and passed sometime with his wife and son. But soon he got bored with it because of inaction. He was the king of Ithaca. He found charm in ruling his uncivilized people. His experience in the battle of Troy and his return journey to Ithaca taught him the charm of adventures. For this reason, a calm and peaceful life was dull to him. He became old but his adventurous spirit was still young. In these lines, he says that he will explore all the pleasures of life. He will feed his youthful heart with all the pleasures and pains of life. In other words, he expresses the desire to enjoy life as much as possible. Ulysses' desire reflects the spirit of Tennyson's age. In the Victorian period, most of the people were ambitious. Geographical explorations, industrial development and thriving economy led them to look for unlimited power and pleasure. Thus, Ulysses' desire in these lines reflects the desire of the Victorian people.

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Where are the songs of Spring? Aye, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too

Where are the songs of Spring? Aye, where are they? 

Think not of them, thou hast thy music too

These lines have been taken from "To Autumn" by John Keats, the youngest of the romantic poets. These lines are addressed to Autumn. Here the speaker's questions suggest that Autumn does not have the music that spring has, and so, he consoles it to be happy with what it has.

These lines occur at the beginning of the last stanza of the poem. By asking these questions, the speaker passes on from the sense of sight described in the second stanza to the sense of hearing in this stanza. Autumn does not have the sweet songs of spring but it has its own sounds. They are: the wailful choir of small gnats, the bleating of lambs. the whistles of the redbreast (robin) and the twittering of swallows. These sounds are in fact not music but Autumn has to be satisfied with these pieces of music; they are its own. However, there are some critics who do not agree with this simple objective interpretation. They think that the poet himself is involved in these lines. Keats was haunted by the thought of death. He, because of his suffering from TB, never had the joys of youth. Perhaps, in these lines he asks himself in a mood of self pity for not having the joys of youth. He did not have them. So, he consoles himself. This subjective interpretation of these lines seems to be an exaggeration. In the total design of the poem, the poet has remained "objective, oblique and impersonal". The poet's own passions are not directly involved in this poem. The "dying-day" and the "gathering swallows" refer to the law of mutability that Keats presents here objectively.

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to set budding more, And still more, later flowers for the bees, Until they think warm days will never cease, For Summer has o'er-brimmed their clammy cells.

to set budding more,

And still more, later flowers for the bees,

Until they think warm days will never cease,

For Summer has o'er-brimmed their clammy cells.

These are the concluding lines of the first stanza of "To Autumn" by John Keats, a famous poet of the Romantic period. These are highly onomatopoeic lines, which suggest the intended meaning by a matching sound.

These lines occur after a description of the bounty of autumn. The personified autumn offers ripe grapes and apples. She also offers swelled gourd, plump and hazelnuts. She makes them fill with sweet juice in collaboration with the sun. She brings all the fruits on earth to maturity for harvesting. She manages the "later flowers" to bloom so that bees can procure honey and restore it to their honeycomb before the advent of winter. Preparation of the bees for the winter suggests the death or end of their activities for some time. It means the death of warm weather and death of a year. It also implies the beginning of a new year. The buzzing sound of the bees has been imitated by the repetition of the 'z' sound. The buzzing sound of the bees indicates their business in collecting honey. Their activities will end completing a cycle of the year. In compliance with the total design of the poem, the poet here in these lines very objectively portrays the bounty of nature as well as mutability of natural things.

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Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness, 

Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;

These are the opening lines of "To Autumn", composed by John Keats, the youngest poet of the Romantic period. Here the poet addresses autumn as a living being in the tradition of the ode. In these lines the collaboration between autumn and the sun has been established.

"To Autumn" is an ode and Keats maintains the convention of opening an ode by an address to autumn. Autumn is a season. The poet gives it life in the person of a woman In other words, the poet personifies it. Autumn is a time of full harvest. The weather remains foggy but the maturing sun helps it to become a bounteous woman. She offers a complete harvest of fully ripe and tasty fruits. The relationship established between her and the sun is very significant. The sun changes continuously. In the morning, at noon and in the evening it does not give the same heat. Moreover, it revives next morning with freshness. This cycle of the sun refers to the cycle of life on earth. The sun does not give the same heat in all seasons. In England, the sunshine changes as autumn comes between summer and winter. The sun is, thus, characterised by natural mutability. "To Autumn" opens with the season's bounty introducing the law of mutability in an absolutely objective manner.

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But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep

The woods are lovely, dark and deep. ...

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My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near

My little horse must think it queer 

To stop without a farmhouse near

These lines have been quoted from Robert Frost's poem "Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening". Here the poet expresses the horse's response to the behaviour of the speaker.

The speaker was passing by a forest. It was a cold evening. Without any visible purpose he stops his journey. His strange behaviour evokes a surprise even in his horse. Here the horse is a foil to the speaker. It stands for rustic common sense. The speaker imagines the horse to be asking what possibly could make him stop there. The horse with its linear thought process acts as a contrast to the sublime mysteriousness of the speaker. He stops at the snowy evening may be for a hidden desire of self-annihilation. However, the common sense of the horse differs from him. In this context the poet has created a profound dimension by offering the horse as a diametrical opposite to the speaker.

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The jaws' hooked clamp and fangs Not to be changed at this date; A life subdued to its instrument;

The jaws' hooked clamp and fangs 

Not to be changed at this date; 

A life subdued to its instrument;

These lines have been quoted from "Pike", a well-known poem composed by Ted Hughes, a famous poet of the post-modern age. These lines suggest the pike's killing nature, which it acquires genetically.

These lines occur in the fourth stanza of the poem "Pike". The facial shape of the pike is like that of "hooked clamp and fangs". This cannot be changed after centuries of evolution. The shape of the face of the pike-fish indicates its destructive nature. The hook-shaped jaws are symbols of killers' weapons. As the pike comes out of its mother's egg, it acquires this shape. It is a natural gift to this little creature. As it grows up, its jaws also grow up. The teeth become larger and the grin becomes visible. Nature teaches it to live on other fish, may be other fish of its own species. It is gifted with the life of a killer. It cannot change itself. Its life is subordinated to its killing nature because without killing other fish it cannot survive. The poet here refers to the cruelty of nature. Nature has in it both constructive and destructive forces. The pike represents the destructive forces. These lines refer to the fact that the violence and horror in the pike is a natural character, in fact, a natural truth.

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