Essay Questions

The theme of sleep plays a prominent role in several of Verlaine’s poems. Why might this be so?

In “Sleep, Darksome, Sleep,” the narrator uses descriptive language to describe that strange transitional period between consciousness and sleep. It is during this mysterious moment—which most of us experience on a daily basis—that our subconscious slips away into some unknown realm of existence. This theme also features prominent in Verlaine’s poems due to the uncanny similarity between sleep and death. Though one is not dead simply because they sleep, the two states are very similar. As a result, it can be inferred that sleep plays such a prominent role in Verlaine’s poems due to the unusual nature of sleep. It is a transitional period that all humans experience. It is during sleep that we become most vulnerable as our subconscious slips away from activity—into temporary death-like state.

In “Oft Do I Dream,” the narrator describes repeated visions of a woman, who he sees during his dreams. What does this woman likely represent?

The narrator of “Oft Do I Dream” suggests throughout the entirety of the poem that he has experienced great loss and darkness in his life. It can therefore be assumed that he is in a semi-eternal state of grief; he is constantly filled with sorrow and reminded of all those he has lost. Therefore, when this woman appears in his dream, he finds a great deal of solace in her. Yet, amidst this solace, the narrator is also reminded of all those loved ones he ha slot. As a result, it can be assumed that this visage represents the lives of all those the narrator has lost. Though she is beautiful in nature and physicality, she also has a unsettling atmosphere around her. The narrator likens her gaze to those of statues. In this way, it can be concluded that this woman is a representation of all the people who the narrator grieves for, but does not actually represent a real individual. She serves as both a comfort and a sobering reminder for the narrator.

How does the tone of “It Shall Be, Then, Upon a Summer’s Day” differ from Verlaine’s other poems?

Most of Verlaine’s poems are laced with somber and ethereal tones. He often uses his poems to contemplate grief, loss, and/or the subconscious. Unlike these other poems, however, which tend to contemplate the mysterious and sorrows of life, “It Shall Be, Then, Upon a Summer’s Day” is a rather quaint poem, whose only purpose is to share a simple tale of young love. The poem follows a young couple as they plan their summer’s day wedding. The narrator—a man—plans the wedding for a beautiful, hot summer’s day. He hopes the sun will shine upon his beloved and make her beauty even more heightened and apparent. Similarly, the two are quite anxious to be legally married so that they might consummate their marriage and begin a long, happily married life together. In this way, this poem differs from Verlaine’s other poems in that it focuses on the simpler, more joyous occasions in life, where two people are joined together by love. The tone of this poem is therefore much lighter and filled with young, lighthearted joy—the type that is spurned by young, everlasting love.